The Everlasting Impact of ‘Almost Famous’

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JMU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Almost Famous, an immersive trip into the 1970s rock scene, is a movie dripping with charisma. A timeless classic upon its release in 2000, the film turned 25 on Sept. 13. The film follows William Miller, a 15-year-old aspiring music journalist, as he follows the band Stillwater on tour in 1973.

As mentioned, the film follows William Miller (Patrick Fugit), an aspiring music journalist living in Southern California with a strict mother (Frances McDormand). He looks up to music journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who pays William to do a story on Black Sabbath’s upcoming concert. At the concert, William meets Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), a “band aid” for Black Sabbath’s opening act, Stillwater. Penny says she and her fellow band aids are not groupies, but rather girls who follow bands for the music and not the men. Impressed by William’s Black Sabbath piece, Rolling Stone magazine asks William to follow Stillwater on the tour and complete a piece about them. The rest of the film follows the ups and downs of the world of rock and roll through William’s perspective, which is a powerful storytelling technique, as it’s based on Cameron Crowe’s personal experiences.

Crowe’s experience as a music journalist was at 16 (instead of William’s 15) and included him writing a piece for Rolling Stone shadowing the Allman Brothers. According to Crowe, he encountered some of the 70s biggest music acts like Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and Linda Ronstadt during this time. A lot of these anecdotes from Crowe’s personal experiences were consolidated into those with Stillwater. Additionally, Seymour Hoffman’s character Lester Bangs was a real journalist, with whom Crowe worked with at Creem and Rolling Stone. Crowe went on to work in films, writing/directing projects like Jerry Maguire, Say Anything, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Part of what makes Almost Famous so special is more than just the costumes (which are undoubtedly timeless and instantly recognizable — like Penny Lane’s Afghan jacket), but the rather the relationships between its characters and music. Although every character in the film has an obvious connection to music, it’s William, Penny, and Stillwater guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) who stand out the most. 

The characters of Penny and Russell infuse Crowe’s obvious love for music into the story in different ways. 

Penny is a strong character, in part due to the mystery that surrounds her. Obviously, her name is a fake one, and so is her age, saying in response to William saying he’s 18, “Me too! How old are we really?” Penny being mysterious allows for Russell and William to idolize her in different ways. To Russell, Penny is just a muse and on-the-road fun, whereas to William, she’s representative of everything he wants that he could never have due to his strict upbringing. She’s carefree, immersed in music, and always there for a good time. These traits don’t make her bulletproof, as Russell’s relationship with his girlfriend hurts her to the point of overdose. It’s only at the end of the movie that the *real* Penny is revealed. Walking in Central Park the day after her overdose, she tells William her name is Lady Goodman, and her mother always told her to “marry up.” When Russell calls Penny to apologize for taking her for granted, she’s at home in California, Afghan coat retired, hair pulled back. She looks her age; she looks like a teenager. 

Russell, on the other hand, represents the difficulties with fame. He assumes the role of the “face” of the band over lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), which isn’t necessarily something he chose. Russell’s difficulties with being the biggest member of the band by chance leads to him spiraling, which is seen in the “I am a golden god” scene. His ego gets the best of him when he tells Rolling Stone that William’s article (which doesn’t make him look like the best guy) is fake, but his true colors are revealed at the end of the film. After Penny dupes him and gives him William’s address under the pretense that it was hers, Russell sits down with William to give him a real interview, and therefore a second chance at music journalism after his fated Stillwater article.

The movie became an instant classic, and an award darling, for so many reasons: its fashion, soundtrack, and quotable scenes, to name a few. The closing quote of the film, when William asks Russell what he loves about music, and Russell replies “to begin with, everything,” represents best what Almost Famous is: a love letter to music. Each character represents a different facet of a music lover: Penny is the reason, Russell is the creator, and William is the consumer. Together, they represent the power of music and how it manifests in those who love it.