OK, we all knew writer-director Cameron Crowe had at least one really great movie in him. It was just a matter of time before he actually got it out and put it on the big screen.
Though each of his first three movies has had its share of entertaining moments, each also had its weaknesses and fell short of greatness. For both "Say Anything" and "Jerry Maguire," it was the inability of the films to reconcile their comedic and dramatic sides. For "Singles" . . . well, there were too many things wrong to even list.
But he's come as close to flawless as he may ever get with "Almost Famous," the first really great movie of the year.
The reason for the film's success is obvious. The subject matter here — the nature of fame, the meaning of and nature of family, and the power of rock 'n' roll music — is so near and dear to Crowe's heart that it's clearly a labor of love.
However, even labors of love fail, which is why this winning, refreshingly honest movie serves as such a tonic for the upset cinematic stomach caused by this summer's sour fare.
And it's done so well, from the rock-solid performances, to the selection of perfectly appropriate, if not all-too-catchy, music to the hard-fought balance of gentle humor and heartbreaking drama, that it's hard to know whom to really single out for praise here.
There are the experienced pros (like character actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and Oscar winner Frances McDormand), the just-out-of-stardom's-reach contingency (Billy Crudup and Kate Hudson), the startlingly talented newcomer (Salt Laker Patrick Fugit), not to mention Crowe himself. But they're all part of one big, cohesive and lovable unit, which is among the best ensembles in recent movie history.
The story echoes Crowe's own experiences as a teenage rock critic, circa the early 1970s. His alter-ego is William Miller (Fugit), a 15-year-old Californian who has just discovered a love of rock music.
In fact, he's so devoted to it that he begins writing his own critiques for the school paper, which brings him to the attention of a Creem magazine editor (Lester Bangs), who becomes his mentor and cautions him about getting too close to his subjects.
Those words become too true when William gets his first major writing assignment. He's actually supposed to be interviewing Black Sabbath but instead falls in with opening act Stillwater, which seems poised for stardom.
And rather than score the interview, he befriends lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Crudup), as well as beautiful Penny Lane (Hudson), the ringleader of a group of "band-aids" who follow — and sometimes accompany — the group on tour.
William, whose quick-and-dirty interview turns into a lengthy detour — as well as a voyage of discovery for the teen, still patiently waits for Russell to grant him an interview.
Needless to say, his editors aren't exactly thrilled. Neither is William's caring but somewhat overbearing mother (McDormand), who's frantic to know what's happened to her son.
Perhaps it's because this story is so personal for Crowe that he's gone to such lengths to ensure that it looks and feels authentic, from the goofy, hand-scrawled opening credits to the inclusion of period music and costuming.
Directorially, it's surely Crowe's best work, and for a change he's able to make every scene in the film work, as well as steer the material clearly through what for him are usually trouble spots — along with ample help from the cast, of course.
Again, it's hard to know exactly whom to single out for praise. Fugit is so natural and unforced that it's hard to believe he hasn't been doing this for a lifetime. And the camera clearly loves the incandescent Hudson, who finally displays some of the same charms of her mother, Goldie Hawn.
However, if you had to pick two standouts, they'd have to be the pitch-perfect Crudup, as well as Hoffman, whose wonderfully eccentric work here should garner him an Oscar nomination.
"Almost Famous" is rated R for scattered strong profanity, simulated drug use (marijuana, hallucinogens and depressants), use of crude sexual slang and some vulgar humor, a pair of brief sex scenes (handled comically) and a glimpse of female nudity. Running time: 122 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com