Almost Famous (2000)

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William Miller is a 15 year old kid, hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about Stillwater, an up and coming rock band. This wonderfully witty coming of age film follows William as he falls face first to confront life, love, and lingo. (imdb)

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Directed By: Cameron Crowe

Written By: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Frances McDormand, Jay Baruchel, Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, Anna Paquin, Zooey Deschanel, Noah Taylor, Kate Hudson, Fairuza Balk, Jimmy Fallon, Patrick Fugit

Genres: Romance, Drama, Music

Country: USA

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Almost Famous belongs to 66 collections

1. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 52 stars)

2. 21st Century Top 250 (collaborative: moderated by dardan - 49 stars)

3. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (public: Ross - 36 stars)

4. AAA: Empire's five star movies (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 25 stars)

5. IMDb Top 250 Complete (collaborative: moderated by Jorg - 23 stars)

6. 100 Movies to See Before You Die: The Modern Classics (collaborative - 22 stars)

7. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)

8. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)

9. Feel Good Movies (collaborative: moderated by Midaso - 19 stars)

10. Drugs (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 16 stars)

11. Coming Of Age (collaborative - 16 stars)

12. Metacritic - Universal Acclaim (collaborative: moderated by sengir - 14 stars)

13. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)

14. Based on true events (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 12 stars)

15. Oscar: Best Writing (adapted/original) (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 10 stars)

16. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)

17. Journalism (collaborative: moderated by djross - 9 stars)

18. A quirky girl will save you (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 8 stars)

19. Skandies (collaborative: moderated by toro913 - 7 stars)

20. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2010) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)

21. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)

22. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2012) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)

23. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)

24. Musician / Composer (collaborative: moderated by djross - 5 stars)

25. They Shoot Pictures: Top 100 Films of the 21st Century (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 5 stars)

26. List: Empire's 301 Greatest Movies of All Time (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 5 stars)

27. Triumvirate of Oscar Winning Actors/Actresses in the Cast (3 or more) (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx - 5 stars)

28. The AV Club Best Films of the '00s (public: TychoCelchuu - 5 stars)

29. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)

30. Golden Globes: Best Picture - Comedy/Musical (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 4 stars)

31. Roger Ebert's 4-Star Movies (collaborative: moderated by KirkJiggler - 3 stars)

32. Top 1000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 3 stars)

33. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2011) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 2 stars)

34. Best Original screenplay (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom - 2 stars)

35. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)

36. Society (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 1 star)

37. A Year of Essential Cinema (collaborative: moderated by Ibetolis1 - 1 star)

38. BBC's The 21st Century's 100 Greatest Films (collaborative: moderated by jeff_h - 1 star)

39. 2018: Complete Watchlist (public: SageSledge - 1 star)

40. Blank Check with Griffin & David (public: TychoCelchuu - 1 star)

41. My Films (collaborative: moderated by Faggels)

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46. Available on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)

47. Sporadic's Blu-Ray/HD-DVD/DVD Collection (public: Strive)

48. My DVD Collection (public: gdfthr337)

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50. 2000: Year in Review (public: polanski28)

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52. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 1 (public: PeaceAnarchy)

53. sample rankings (public: Yuma7)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
7	Luna6ix	82 _80th
The last of a string of modern classics from Crowe, this one is absolutely loaded with talent, even including one of my favorite musicians as a band member. Its got great music, iconic scenes, and a universal nostalgic feeling translated for every generation.
5	Bown	83 _67th
Romanticises the rock star lifestyle without being fooled by it for a second. The autobiographical nature of it just makes it all the more fun and charming.
3	Dorkovsky	5 _59th
The emptiness of the lifestyle was done convincingly and it was ultimately engaging, but I just didn't care. Too many cliches and ridiculously extreme characters (McDormand's) or scenes (The plane "crash" scene).
3	Murravener	99 _99th
A heartwarming, realistic look inside the life of a young boy on tour with Stillwater as Rolling Stone's youngest journalist. It is writer/director Cameron Crowe's autobiography so it guarantees accuracy and another guarantee is a knockout soundtrack just as in any of his films.
3	understamp	30 _23rd
He gets told to not make friends but goes ahead and likes these (incredibly unlikeable) rock stars omggggg drama Boring and a rehash of a bunch of other films, most of which suck too. Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll! etcetc
3	Alon Reter	56 _42nd
A pure heart in the middle of a tiring, sweet uninspired movie about boring music and essence. "you're free of M O M !"
2	mrbeck	70 _58th
I'm sure this got some great hype from hippy/stoner fans, but I usually find hippy/stoner movies pretty boring. This one was slow paced at times, but very well acted and written. One of those movies where you feel part of it instead of just tagging along.
2	Ytadel	7 _83rd
Pretty much the only time I've ever not hated Kate Hudson!
2	angrypierre	94 _98th
I watched this again recently and I remembered that it's actually one of my favourite films ever. The music, the people, the story, the connection between people, the coming-of-age... It's all so good. The directors cut is an absolute masterpiece. And the Tiny Dancer scene is just incredible.
2	Nathan S	3 _45th
Sensational and wrapped a little too neatly, but still very entertaining and touching. Nostalgia is one of the strongest emotions, and this film evokes it to great effect.
2	Chuchaqui	99 _95th
One of my favourites and one of the films you watch whenever you feel lonely. Never fell in love with a movie character as strongly as with Kate Hudson here. And the bus scene with "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John is just one of the most satisfying scenes in movie history.
2	twincinema	70 _53rd
It's a fun hangout film. Billy Crudup is too handsome. It shouldn't be allowed.
2	Stain	80 _68th
A reminder to all of us of how musicians are dumb and their fans are even dumber
2	Weafdog	94 _99th
It is one of the best love stories of all time with the love interest being music. It is an ode to the beauty and power of music. It is also a great bildungsroman, maybe one of the best. I doubt Kate Hudson will ever be this moving again.
2	geden	26 _17th
I hate all the characters in this movie, especially the ones I was supposed to like.
2	karamazov.	19 _20th
Sweet, but painfully uninteresting and insubstantial.
2	joel-w-m	7 _64th
In light of the quick and witty opening (Deschanel and McDormand have great mom-daughter chemistry) and satisfying end ("There's still hope for you") the middle feels a bit messy and tonally inconsistent (the airplane scene was hilarious but could have been a great serious moment), but probably appropriately so, given the film's coming-of-age plot and wild rock 'n roll tour setting. Themes of love, integrity, and fame pop in and out of the busy script-interesting, but not always fully impacting.
1	fuxoft	85 _83rd
Pleasant surprise. This is not a kind of movie I usually watch.
1	Magb	65 _30th
There's something about Crowe's movies -- his characters, the way he uses music, his general style -- that I find off-putting. And I don't think he has the directorial skill required to do a lot of the stuff he tries to do; P.T. Anderson does this kind of stuff much better. This is not a bad movie, but it doesn't work very well for me.
1	yilb	60 _58th
An awfully nice occasionally repetitive nostalgia piece with such amazingly cute & young leads looking meaningfully at things, it is impossible not to enjoy. Shimmeringly romantic, with surprisingly little drama.
1	BattleToad	85 _76th
Almost Famous has a cool, mostly well-acted, and, as far as I know, realistic story. It's similarities to writer/director Cameron Crowe's own life only make it cooler. Really good!
1	Zarkon	85 _73rd
aka, The Michael Cera Movie Without the Michael Cera.
1	tearsofash	88 _85th
A nice movie that avoids being too cliche.
1	evilgrug	91 _94th
I'd give the theatrical version a solid 75-80, but the absolutely fantastic Director's Cut pushes that up a bit.
1	Derekstar	80 _68th
Can we be honest here for a second? Yes, I liked Almost Famous, but it 'aint all that. It's all about finding yourself and growing and love of music, which I'm all for, but it's fairly conventional. Are we supposed to find the budding romance between Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson compelling or interesting? I found it unbelievable. Is the idea that they shared some initial spark of fandom and they connect over that? They had zero chemistry. I don't get it. But listen, the movie's still good.
1	weirdyoda	98 _98th
A wonderful movie all around.
1	frederic_g54	8 _77th
A film filled with larger than life characters, played exceedingly well by every actor involved. Newcomer Patrick Fugit adds a lot of life this lovable and compelling coming of age film. I hope to see the director's cut one day.
1	Kain424	50 _23rd
Almost good.
1	Zephonith	70 _57th
While it's an entertaining ride, with interesting and well acted characters, something about this film just doesn't engage me. Perhaps it's because the film itself is so firmly locked into a time period that it works best as a retrospective for people who actually experienced it, I don't know.
1	td888	80 _89th
Bring out your camping gear, this is a loooong film.
1	arnavsheth	69 _26th
"coming of age" story of an american kid and rock journalist wannabe in the heydey of american rock (the 70s). little too sappy and mainstream. typical of cameron crowe (jerry maguire) with love, ambition and a little teen angst thrown in for good measure.
1	tonydal	80 _74th
Went a bit Hollywood toward the end there. But a generally absorbing chronicle (as they say). Featuring perhaps the funniest near-planecrash you'll ever see. Captures the up-close pandemonium of that whole 70s scene nicely. Among the acting standouts: Hoffman, McDormand and (especially) the lead-singer guy. Don't know how in the world they afforded all those Led Zeppelin songs!
1	nandorizzi	95 _97th
Unforgettable actings, for who likes rock and movies like me. Still Water, the best fake band.
1	E.Hafner	100 _90th
Fantastic movie, one that I could watch over and over again and fall in love with every time. Great characters delivered with believable performances, especially by Kate Hudson. Cameron Crowe writes and directs a perfect story of sex, drugs, rock n' roll, and life on the road. The scene where the characters sing along to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" is particularly enjoyable.
1	soliloquist	69 _12th
Overrated. Though I'll give it points for having a decent soundtrack.
1	Ism	50 _7th
Outrageously overrated.
1	hellsditch	68 _19th
Wow, was this a letdown. The Summary here says it's "wondefully witty", but I'd say it managed to make the glorious excesses of the mid-70s rock scene seem pretty damn boring.
1	gtown1479	82 _77th
Great music in this film. Its a good depiction of how things were going in rock and roll at that time. At least that's what I was left thinking.
1	XakkMaster	95 _96th
Admittedly, I would love my career arc to follow that of Cameron Crowe, so I was destined to love this.
1	TK421	65 _15th
Typical overlong, overwrought Cameron Crowe storytelling. The director is bound and determined to force his love of pop music culture on to his viewers, and this thin tale does little to bring anything new to the table.
1	Neonman	69 _35th
Terrible and amazing. I know this is autobiographical of someone who seemed to have awesome teen years, but it still feels false and abbreviated. And the main dude just seemed alien (and asexual, apparently), at times playing up the smug kid role. But there's undeniable cinematic power occurring here and there, where you get more involved with the band's story rather than this weird journo kid with a tape recorder.
1	Nearphotison	77 _54th
A really good look at the rock star methos, and from an interestingly human perspective. Really enlightening and enjoyable for rock and roll fans, with a good cast and terrific script. A must-see for music fans (or movie fans).
1	dziekiel	72 _13th
Schmaltzy feel good rock n roll movie? Yep. Not a terrible movie, just a very...antiseptic movie, particularly considering the subject matter. Well made, but toothless exercise in singing along to the 70's rock scene.
1	AWyman24	92 _93rd
captures that time in music masterfully
1	marc01	85 _70th
Crowe at the top of his game. Meaningful, well crafted and entertaining.
1	astrakhan	76 _43rd
Almost interesting.
1	FunkyAstro	85 _86th
This movie is pure pleasure and very straight forward. It's generally about rock and roll and more specifically about "the scene", what goes on behind the stage with all the unspoken rules that loom overhead. My only complaint is that Crowe kind of watered down how dark that lifestyle can become, although he is reflecting back on a time when his innocence was still in tact. It's a wonderful little story but one we've become accustomed to by the year 2000 - Sex, drugs and rock n roll. WooOOO!!!
1	SirStuckey	70 _56th
Leaned a little to hard into the Patrick Fugit coming of age story for my liking but it's fine.
1	DolphinSpurs	40 _6th
Over contrived nostalgia-baiting, schlock that harks back to a bygone era while sanitizing about 80% of what actually went on (like all nostalgia does). It's like Gerber banana pudding for wannabe hip white people. Hoffman criminally underused in his supporting role. Lone bright spot is the frazzled Frances McDormand as an overbearing mom. I wish it was all about the music, but it's really about self-serving platitudes about love, growing up and being "cool'.
1	aaasolanki	41 _3rd
I couldn't wait for the movie to finish. At 2 hrs 41 mins its way too long. And there's something American about the movie, I mean you have to be an American to appreciate it. You also probably need to be into the whole rock-and-roll culture thing else you will just find the movie a sham and a stretch.
1	annntsy	65 _20th
I know everyone loves this movie, but I remember being left with a sort of grimy feeling after watching it every time. It has been years, but I remember being especially put off by the insistence to corrupt the kid- supposedly a glorious scene. I really wouldn't even want to be friends with any of the characters if I met them in real life. Maybe I just don't get the appeal of being a groupie-sacrificing meaningful interactions just to feel close to someone else's fame? Looks so unfulfilling.
1	Telemecus	36 _36th
I really wanted to love this film but could not. The scene in the airplane when they were about to die was hilarious - but overall the plot did not hang.
1	Velvet Crowe	74 _82nd
It's cheesy as hell but it also possesses a sense of honesty and charm. A lot of scenes are hit or miss - The airport scene and general romance were pretty lame. On the other hand, the plane crash scene was great and I liked the theme of self-reflection the film plays with. It's an interesting film in the sense that it isn't about the music or the artists so much as it is the people around them, even if perhaps the film plays this up in an overly maudlin way. A good but not amazing film.
1	Laetitia	60 _14th
ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...
1	Rufam	65 _42nd
"Almost Famous", essentially a story about good-looking people getting high on DHARMA vans, serves for energetic coming-of-age tale, featuring stellar performances (I love McDormand's wackiness in particular) and amazing music. However, if you extract the songs, you aren't left with much more than a bunch of unbelievable hipsters for characters and a rather pedestrian plot. Despite great monents, the problem is that it's just too cute for its own good and madly in love with its own smartness.
1	deliz	60 _7th
bulls
1	hellboy76	84 _95th
Overall Crowes strongest film, entertaining with many memorable moments and a great soundtrack. Comes off a little sappy at times, but it's still effective. Hudson is tolerable for the first time in history and it boggles my mind to think of this kid Cameron Crowe touring with Zeppelin etc.
1	SlantMag	20 _41st
"A nostalgia factory of popular music that is less a movie than it is a vehicle for baby boomer reminiscence." - Ed Gonzalez
1	Ashby	92 _93rd
Well, I might be overrating this quite a bit, but I'm just a sucker for this movie. The characters, the plot, the soundtrack, everything about this movie is great. The charactersation of Stillwater as a self-rightous rockband who have no idea what's going on the world around them is just fantastically well done. "I'd rather die than be in Rolling Stone... but it would be nice to be on the cover though."
1	guy piranha	75 _81st
Although the premise is pretty ridiculous, and penny lane's gotta be one of the most obnoxious characters ever written, this has just enough charming and fun moments to redeem itself. Hoffman rules every scene he's in as the disenchanting voice of reason, but altogether, the movie goes pretty easy on the industry. Nevertheless, an enjoyable, competently done "ride along" with a great score.
1	xacviant	85 _73rd
Cameron Crowe's valentine to 70s rock gets off to a shaky start (Zooey Deschanel at her most irritating), but when the story advances to 1973 and our hero, William Miller (Patrick Fugit, excellent) wrangles an assignment covering the nationwide tour of the band Stillwater, it finds its feet. Good acting (although in retrospect Kate Hudson's performance was perhaps a touch overhyped), great music, and a good, Oscar-winning script, the occasionally uneasy balance of farce and reality aside.
1	TheDailyNathan	83 _67th
A nice coming-of-age sort of story that delves into rock n' roll and the lifestyles of its stars. The main story arch between the writer and rock star is nice, but I really didn't understand the purpose of Kate Hudson's groupie character - she never develops into a real character, despite being featured throughout the movie and having many plot points to develop on. The ending is also disappointingly deus-ex'd into a disney happy conclusion
1	Paxton	65 _46th
Kate Hudson: Blue jean baby. L.A. lady. Seamstress for the band.
1	mattorama12	85 _94th
It's a little cheesy at times, but it's got laughs, drama, heart, and fun in equal measure. A wonderfully balanced film that brings the audience into William's world and share his passion for the music industry, with all its ups and downs. Can't help but love the rock nostalgia of it all, too
1	hsncrspywl	37 _12th
I just didn't care.
1	disconnected	71 _53rd
You can tell that Crowe was obviously passionate about this project and threw everything he could at it, which is both good and bad in the same way as Spike Lee's baggier, more personal films. There's no question that it has one of the best casts in film history (up to and including unlikely figures like Marc Maron and Mitch Hedberg) and it's certainly emotionally resonant, but it doesn't always work, and I wouldn't have liked it as much if the girl who recommended it to me wasn't so attractive.
1	manwhonose	97 _92nd
It's a delightful, immersive, movie, in which, everyone - not just the young people - goes on a bit of a voyage of self discovery. The performances are brilliantly pitched; the characters are well-drawn; the writing is witty. The only thing that could be construed as a negative is that Crowe's direction lacks individuality, but does that really matter?
1	fra paolo	35 _30th
Technically this is of interest, and it certainly does capture some of the mood of the 1970s, but ultimately it is a tiresome rehearsal of some traditional themes about coming of age.
1	AlbertE	0 _10th
junk.
1	meltemcilik	70 _74th
It does a good job of romanticizing and charming classic rock music, and i don't mean that in a bad way. It has an exciting feel to it, but it does take it's time. I though it was a bit slow and a bit too long, but I watched with pleasure.
1	whotemp	83 _70th
The characters feel so "real", to quote Russell Hammond. You can really connect with the band, get drawn in by their charisma but also understand their weaknesses. You fall for Penny Lane, the ditzy groupie who is unwittingly used, and explore the world with William, the mama's boy. The music is perfect. The tiny dancer bus scene shows what music can do. - 4/1/14
1	toddsalter	94 _90th
In this movie Philip Seymour Hoffman made me feel good about being not cool. RIP.
1	bratings	90 _78th
Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous delivers as a coming-of-age story and excels as a movie about rock and roll.
1	Chiptbhtv	60 _19th
This film is great, if you don't watch the directors cut. Unfortunately that's the first cut I saw, and my overall viewpoint is tainted, but great performances do make up the difference here.
1	RottenT	89 _72nd
Almost Famous, with its great ensemble performances and story, is a well-crafted, warm-hearted movie that successfully draws you into its era.
1	adornment	83 _87th
Almost Famous brilliantly depicts the inevitable rift between art and the critique thereof, while also paying tribute to the era of '70s rock and roll. It cuts back on character development in exchange for the more experiential treatment, which seems to (mostly) work. It helps that the cast uplifts it by giving each character their own personal touch.
1	Barnowl	86 _38th
I had an almost famous experience myself. Makes the movie less impressive.

Average Percentile 62.5% from 8624 Ratings