Like many of the old films I love with great character acting, 'Almost Famous', is beautifully realized on many levels, with terrific acting performances from Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand and Patrick Fugit as well as numerous others, a tight script, and nary a wasted scene or false note in two hours, accompanied by wonderfully evocative music. As far as some of the comments that the film is to unbelievable to be true, they are merely ignorant and lacking in imagination. At nearly the same age as William Miller, I found myself face to face with some of the most exalted legends of rock and roll backstage at Woodstock. I 'gods'. HBO has been showing this film quite often and it easily stands up to repeated viewings, showing nuances missed previously. I give will never forget riding the stage elevator with Jimi Hendrix and his manager and driving them to the helicopter in a rented Plymouth, as well as driving the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane when they arrived at the festival. Being part of the stage crew gave me the chance to have a long talk with Marty Scorsese while he filmed the the opening sequences of the festival, long before he was a cinema icon. I was a a budding photographer and journalist, magnetically and magically drawn to occupy a catbird seat at this defining moment- and yet I was treated with kindness and respect by these rock 'gods. This movie gets a wholehearted 10 from me. It is a rare must-see among the many pallid Hollywood offerings of recent years.
Review of Almost Famous
