Almost Famous: Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll

1515 Words4 Pages

“I’m a golden god,” Russell Hammond shouts from a roof top as he is about to jump off into a pool from a bad acid trip. The iconic rock-n-roll scene of inflated egos and strung out rock stars. However, this is a rare occurrence in Almost Famous. It is a story of a boy, William Miller (Patrick Fugit), becoming a man while learning about the rock-n-roll culture with his only true friend, his tape recorder. William, age fifteen, is traveling with the band Stillwater to interview them for a Rolling Stone article, along the way he has many interesting experiences. Some of these including letting all the groupies stay in his room, almost crashing on an airplane with the band, and falling in love with the illustrious Penny Lane.

However, plot is carried by a variety of other characters also. Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) is the lead guitarist and the most famous person in the band. He is constantly putting on the appearance that he is better than everyone else in the band and as the lead singer states he was supposed to be, “the guitarist with mystique.” Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) is the leader of the Band Aides. The best description of her was given by Roger Ebert, “She is not a groupie, she explains indignantly, but a Band Aide. She is, of course, a groupie but has so much theory about her role, it's almost as if sex for her is a philosophical exercise.” Penny has a love affair with Russell, who is married, while they are on tour. Penny is essentially William’s guide to the world of rock-n-roll. Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the editor from cream magazine. William has sent him in a couple of articles and Bangs is surprise about their quality. He becomes a mentor for William on how to write a good article. To get a proper ...

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Works Cited

Almost Famous. Dir. Cameron Crowe. Dreamworks, 2000. DVD.

Ebert, Roger. Rev. of Almost Famous, dir. Cameron Crowe. Rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun-Times, 15 Sept. 2000. Web. 29 March 2011.

Rainer, Peter. “Rock-a-Bye Baby.” Rev. of Almost Famous, dir. Cameron Crowe. New York Magazine. New York Magazine, 18 Sept. 2000. Web. 29 March 2011.

Scott, A.O. “With Sympathy For the Devil, A Rock Writer Finds His Way.” Rev. of Almost Famous, dir. Cameron Crowe. The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2000. Web. 29 March 2011.

Travers, Peter. Rev. of Almost Famous, dir. Cameron Crowe. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 13 Sept. 2000. Web. 29 March 2011.

Zacharek, Stephanie. “A movie about a boy and a rock band. But it’s really all about the girls.” Rev. of Almost Famous, dir. Cameron Crowe. Salon.com. Salon Media Group, 15 Sept. 2000. Web. 29 March 2011.

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