Among the Almost Famous

marycarey78
Mar 23, 2017
3 min read

Almost famous, in my opinion, is one of the best movies of all time. And there’s a lot of reasons for that; the story, the cinematography, the acting, the characters, the soundtrack, even the wardrobe, it’s legendary. I’m going to go over my favorite part of the movie, the characters. The characters in this movie are very real and 3D, their personalities are rounded, and family centric, relaxed, and kind. But they have flaws as well. Most of the guys in Stillwater are self obsessed, angry, and snobbish.

William Miller has a strange story; his mother is a college professor who’s a bit out there for her time. She’s a vegetarian, who raises her kids to be as well, she celebrates Christmas in September so it won’t be commercialized, and she doesn’t agree with secular music. William didn’t know how old he was until he was 11, at which point he thought he was 12. When he was 11 years old Will’s big sister couldn’t deal with their mother any longer and ran away from home to become a stewardess, she explained her departure through the song America by Simon and Garfunkel. When she left, she gave William all of her records, thus changing who he was. Fast forward 4 years and Will’s 15, about to graduate, obsessed with rock and roll and writing about it. His main inspiration is a man named Lesther Bangs, one of the greatest rock critics of their time. He sends him his reviews of albums and gigs. When Lesther gives him an assignment to go review Black Sabbath, William meets a band called Stillwater and a woman who says her name is Penny Lane. William, I believe, is instantly infatuated with her. William is convinced to go on tour with the band Stillwater and is very quickly swept up into the world of the music business. Will has an obsession with all things music and he loves the way being with the band makes him feel. Despite Lesther’s imploring, Will made friends with the rock stars. And in the process fell in love with Penny Lane. He’s a loyal guy, if he loves you, he loves you. Even if Will isn’t someone’s biggest fan he has lots of faith in them and looks for the good in them. When he talks about Russell Hammond with Penny Lane, he says, “Don’t tell me this stuff! I want to like him!” He prefers to see the good rather than the bad in people. Only 15, when compared to others on the tour his innocence, wonder, and kindness is very heightened. He’s like a needle in a haystack of cynicism in the world he’s thrust himself into.

Miss Penny Lane is shrouded in mystery. When Penny is first introduced in the movie William mistakes her for a “groupie” Penny immediately insists that she isn’t one, but something she calls a Band-Aid. Groupie’s sleep with the stars to be close to someone famous, Band-Aids are there because of the music, they inspire the music, they are Band-Aids. Penny is something different completely from anyone you’ve ever met. She’s got this sort of air to her, Polexia, her friend said, “she brings out the good side in everyone else, but what do they do for her?” which is true. I truly believe that Penny Lane is a gift to the universe from the stars. Even in her darkest moment at the end of the film Will is so endeared that it doesn’t matter what she’s done to herself, he loves her nonetheless. Which, I believe sums up Penny Lane. You can’t hate her no matter how compromising the position she’s in. she’s someone you aspire to be or to be with, someone who you adore no matter what. When Penny was younger, she was at a rolling stone’s concert and Keith Richards pulled her on stage in the middle of Midnight Rambler. After that, she never went back home.

The movie Almost Famous is so special to me. I’ve watched it countless times now, but every single time I watch it I notice something new. There’s a specific feeling to it, it makes me so happy and nostalgic. Not to mention that Almost Famous has some of the best dialogue of all time. The writing done by Cameron Crowe, who this story based off of, constantly amazes me. I hope one day it will receive the recognition it deserves, even though it got 17 awards from different associations and shows. Featured below are some of my favorite photos and screen caps from Almost Famous.