Synopsis
Focusing on the 1973 Almost Famous concert tour for the band Stillwater, director Cameron Crowe's ALMOST FAMOUS takes a look at 1970s rock culture. The film tells the story of William, who gets a job working for Rolling Stone magazine. He is assigned to cover the tour and travels along with it, making new friends, receiving advice from Lester Bangs, while taking in the strange, fast-paced rock & roll lifestyle.

Description
Writer-director Cameron Crowe brings the 1970s music scene to life with his semi autobiographical story of a teen journalist who goes on the road with a rock band. Uncool 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is living every teenager's dream. He's touring with Stillwater, an up-and-coming rock band featuring lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) and charismatic lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) and writing about it for Rolling Stone magazine, whose editors are unaware of his young age. Though Miller's mentor, legendary rock critic Lester Bangs--portrayed with humor and heart by Philip Seymour Hoffman--cautions him not to befriend the musicians, Miller takes it a step further and befriends both the band and the Band-Aids--the girls who hang around with the band because they love the music. Newcomer Fugit is the perfect William Miller: baby-faced, slightly gawky, and an awestruck observer. Kate Hudson sparkles as Penny Lane, the leader of the Band-Aids, and Frances McDormand delivers a stellar performance as Elaine, Miller's protective and mildly paranoid mother. In the tradition of SAY ANYTHING and JERRY MAGUIRE, Crowe's coming-of-age tale is intelligent, well written, and infused with humor in unlikely places.