Almost Famous is a really nicely done film. It tells a collection of stories about life in and around Rock n Roll that feel true, and if you can't quite place the band--who knows what you we were doing in 1973--it might be because they were almost famous, or because the story is almost true.

In either case, the film is a wonderfully effective feel good film that dances around issues that could be serious or even lethal. Director Cameron Crowe doesn't delve too deeply, however, preferring to deliver a feel good flick that tells the story without providing gut wrenching moral stimulants.

There are no spectacular deaths here, nothing to drag you through an emotional ringer, instead, the focus is on these almost real characters, and their brush with amost fame.

The story starts in San Diego, where we meet William Morris, as a young boy. He's very close to his college professor mother, and in the opening scenes we hear them discussing To Kill A Mockingbird. His mother, played by Francis McDormand, hops to keep all things bad from her children, so she bans rock 'n' roll from the house.

Jump forward 4 years, and William is not only hooked on rock n roll, he gets a job as a writer, first for a small magazine, and then for Rolling Stone. His task is to document the Almost Famous tour of the band Stillwater. He joins the tour, becomes an accepted part of the group and gets to know the band and its entourage.

Once on the tour, the focus of the film broadens from William to those around him. Rivalries between the band's lead singer, Jeff Bebe, and guitarist, Russell Hammond arise, since both believe they are the principal talent impetus for the group. Then there's the band aids, groupies with panache, who just kind of hang around. And of all the characters in the film, director Cameron Crowe acknowledges that Penny Lane, the pre-eminent band aid of the film is based on a real person. The rest is subject to speculation. And much of the speculation is that the film is based on Crowe's experience with the Allman Brothers.

Almost Famous is a delightful film. It doesn't change the world, and it isn't even what I would describe as a great movie. What it has, is a heartfelt honesty that shines through every shot. Crowe may not admit that these characters are real, but there is such placid truth inherent in this film that you are quite sure that they are. Don't miss Almost Famous, it's a real treat.


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