As Cameron Crowe takes on a journey through his youth, you are able to experience firsthand, what it must've been like to be a 15 year old kid living a rock and roll fantasy. To tell this story, Crowe has assembled some fine actors. The always wonderful Frances McDormand plays his on screen alter ego's mother. She hits all the right notes on being a single mother and seeing rock and roll as a very evil influence. Patrick Fugit is William Miller, the lucky kid who manages to land a writing gig with Rolling Stone. You can see the joy, frustration, and wonderment in his eyes as he travels from city to city with Stillwater. Stillwater's two creative forces are played by Jason Lee and Billy Crudup and both exude charisma, charm, and when needed, they can become people that you don't want to be around. Kate Hudson is Penny Lane, the free spirited band-aid that brings William deeper into the secret world of music worshiping. Through her, William and Russel form a weird triangle that becomes the main dramatic crux of the story. Philip Seymour Hoffman rounds out the cast as Lester Bangs, the influential rock critic from Creem magazine. Bangs instructs young William about the dos and don'ts of being a rock journalist. He explains that being cool will always be a problem for everyone except the good looking, and for many devotees of rock and roll, that problem will never go away.
Crowe's film is much more than a simple retelling of his life and times on the road with bands like Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band, or any of the other bands that he may have toured with. It's a love letter to an era in music that for most, can now only be recaptured on classic rock stations and tours from the likes of The Who, Page & Plant and Elton John. Music brings its listeners closer together, and for a brief period of time, everything seems to be in harmony. With all of the prefabricated bands and music rolling off the shelves, it's refreshing to see a film that truly loves its subject matter, and revels in it. Definitely a film not
Crowe's film is much more than a simple retelling of his life and times on the road with bands like Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers Band, or any of the other bands that he may have toured with. It's a love letter to an era in music that for most, can now only be recaptured on classic rock stations and tours from the likes of The Who, Page & Plant and Elton John. Music brings its listeners closer together, and for a brief period of time, everything seems to be in harmony. With all of the prefabricated bands and music rolling off the shelves, it's refreshing to see a film that truly loves its subject matter, and revels in it. Definitely a film not