Almost Famous

"Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it."

2000 2h 4m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

🔥

91%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.9

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 3,255🍅91%Rotten Tomatoes●90Metacritic★7.9IMDB · 313,640

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1973, a precocious 15-year-old aspiring rock journalist lands a dream assignment from Rolling Stone to tour with a rising rock band, embarking on a coming-of-age journey as he discovers the exhilarating and heartbreaking realities behind rock stardom.

“Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.”

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Cast

Billy Crudup
Russell Hammond
Frances McDormand
Elaine Miller
Kate Hudson
Penny Lane
Jason Lee
Jeff Bebe
Patrick Fugit
William Miller
Zooey Deschanel
Anita Miller
Michael Angarano
Young William
Anna Paquin
Polexia Aphrodisia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cameron Crowe
Writers: Cameron Crowe
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 79% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cameron Crowe, shot by John Toll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nancy Wilson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Hutshing shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand and Kate Hudson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cameron Crowe directs. John Toll behind the camera. Nancy Wilson scores. Joe Hutshing cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 79% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
326 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Cameron Crowe, shot by John Toll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nancy Wilson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joe Hutshing shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand and Kate Hudson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Experience it. Enjoy it. Just don't fall for it.".
9IMDB entry: tt0181875 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 24 themes, including "concert", "rock 'n' roll", "drug addiction", "groupie".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Toll
Original score: Nancy Wilson
Editing: Joe Hutshing
Costume design: Betsy Heimann
Makeup / hair: Michael Germain
VFX supervisor: Ed Jones
Sound: Doug Hemphill
Stunt coordinator: Charles Croughwell
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $47,386,287
Return: 79% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Almost Famous (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 90/100
IMDB rating: 7.9/10 · 313,640 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 54 wins & 103 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Cameron Crowe

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-07-13
★ 9/10
Hopes, Dreams & Nightmares. Almost Famous is Cameron Crowe's paean to rock music, of bands and songs, of journalism and promotion, of sex & drugs. Drawing from experience and stories passed on, Crowe tells the tale of a young teenage boy aspiring to be a music journalist in the 1970s. Finding himself backstage with the rock group Stillwater, William Miller (Patrick Fugit) embarks on a road journey with the band that's awash with egos, groupies, perils and pleasures, all of which change his life forever. Lets go find something real! The most striking thing about it is that it's not overtly funny or sensationalistic, it's a production that's full of love, real love, for the subject matters to hand, and it's very often a moving experience to be part of. Narratively speaking, Crowe takes his time, steadily building characters and backdrop essentials, it works a treat as we become immersed in all the major players within the music circle, while also feeling the concerns of those on the outside of the rock group circle. Which of course gives us the great rewards come the final third of film when all matters come to a head. Crowe and his design team also work some magic for period flavours, capturing the early 70s vibe with awareness of clothing, food and drink and transport. Nothing ever seems false, which is remarkable in this era of product placements and shameless plugging. 50 bucks and a case of beer! Another one of Crowe's strengths is how he garners great performances from his actors. There's no big stars here, no Tom or Renée, but Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, Kate Hudson and Fugit, who respond to their director with sincere and believable performances, no caricatures or ham sarnies here, no way. While outskirt performances from Frances McDormand (brilliant as William's fretful mother), Anna Paquin, Philip Seymour Hoffman (as the legendary Lester Bangs) and Fairuza Balk, consistently hit the hi-hat. The music of course rocks, from metal and progers, to folkers and bubblegum, to some punk godfathery, these sounds feature on the soundtrack and kick the decade into orbit - while the Stillwater scenes are effective and the use of Elton John's Tiny Dancer will land in your heart and stay there. Cameron Crowe has created a smashingly memorable film that will stand the tests of time. Two cuts are available, where both the theatrical and director's cuts are sure fire things (the latter Bootleg Cut my personal favourite). This is a music based film to sit with the best of them, God Bless Rock N Roll and God Bless Cameron Crowe, for he could have easily embellished and over egged his rock pudding, instead he kept it real. 9/10
JPV8522021-07-09
★ 9/10
With the new 4K release, decided to watch the Director's Cut (Untitled) version for the first time having seen the theatrical version a couple of times over the years (last time was several years ago, however). Anyway, still a great movie even for someone who isn't exactly steeped into rock and roll music. Features a wonderful ensemble cast with solid performances all around (Hudson and Crudup were standouts) and the original music, alongside the classics, were great. 4.5/5
Wuchak2022-03-27
★ 7/10
Misadventures while touring America with an up-and-coming band in the early 70s A 15 year-old aspiring rock journalist (Patrick Fugit) gets a gig by Rolling Stone to tour America with the rising group Stillwater in 1973. He develops a relationship with a winsome groupie of the band (Kate Hudson) while learning the group dynamics behind the music, such as the rivalry between the guitarist and lead singer (Billy Crudup and Jason Lee). "Almost Famous" (2000) was written/directed by Cameron Crowe, known for movies like “Jerry McGuire” (1996) and “Say Anything” (1989). It’s a behind-the-scenes rock-oriented flick in the mold of “The Rose” (1979), “Oh, God! You Devil” (1984), “Rock Star” (2001) and “The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (2009). The story is semi-biographical, inspired by Crowe’s experiences writing for Rolling Stone at 15 and touring with the Allman Brothers at 16. The amusing plane sequence was drawn from a real-life situation with The Who; and the guitarist of the band, Russell, is based on Glenn Frey of Eagles. I had heard the critical gushing, but wasn’t sure if I was going to like it for much of the first half, yet it won me over with the second half. The aforementioned plane sequence is a highlight. For a more serious, darker take on similar material see the obscure “The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which I favor over this one. The notable cast also includes Frances McDormand as the boy’s conservative mother, Zooey Deschanel as his sis and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a wise rock journalist. Fairuza Balk, Anna Paquin and Bijou Phillips are also on hand as groupies. While Anna’s role is small, she stands out on the feminine front, along with star Kate. The movie runs 2 hours, 2 minutes, and was shot in California, Arizona and Manhattan (Gramercy Park Hotel and Central Park). GRADE: B