Movies I Almost Missed

It's rare that I get the chance to go out to the movie theater and actually see a movie on the big screen, the way it was meant to be viewed. If I do, I often opt to take in a classic at the Dryden Theater, or an indy flick at the Little. Movie tickets are so rediculously expensive these days that I've become awfully picky, so there usually isn't much I really want to see even if I do have the time to get there. So most of my movie watching happens sprawled out on the couch in my living room, straight from Netflix or some other on demand dervice. In some ways I prefer it that way. No cell phones ringing or chatty teenagers to distract from the experience. And I can always pause it for a bathroom break, or to grab another snack. Perhaps the best part is that I can go back and catch up on some of the films I missed from the past few years while I was busy watching films from the '40s, '50's and '60s.

There seem to be so few films being made these days that are worth seeing, but every now and then, I stumble upon a good one that is truly memorable. It's funny, because I can usually remember when these movies came out and I thought that they looked mildly interesting, but for one reason or another, I just never made it out to see it. Case in point for my most recent Netflix offering, a little film called "Almost Famous". Like so many along the way that I just never saw, I remember when it was in theaters and I probably thought "let's see, another coming of age story, ah, think I'll skip it." But for whatever reason, it found its way into my queue. I often love to go back a decade or two just to remind myself of what was going on in my life at the time when a particular movie came out. I also find that it provides a useful reference point to the state of film today (sometimes a depressing reminder).

I can't say I was expecting much from this particular movie that had made its way to my DVD player. Sometimes that's best, because at least then it's less likely that I'll be disappointed. As the film began with a very unorthodox title sequence, each title appearing as a hand scribbled it in pencil onto a sheet of ruled notebook paper, amidst shots of concert tickets and other music memorabilia, I found myself settling in. I could appreciate the way the characters were each developed with care and attention. As the story unfolded, I became drawn in not just by the soundtrack of classic songs from the early '70s, but how the story was presented. The narrative is based around director Cameron Crowe's experiences growing up traveling with bands like the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin and writing cover stories for Rolling Stone magazine at the age of 16. It's a compelling enough story, but rather than try to simply present it exactly as it happened, and getting actors to portray iconic rock stars like Jimmy Page or Ozzy Osborne, he brought us on the tour bus with a fictional band called Stillwater, which he created for the movie. The thing is, it doesn't feel like something made up, but actually quite authentic. In fact, I found myself Googling the band, believing for a moment that they were in fact real. I think that it was a crucial decision to go this route, and a good one. Trying to imitate someone real would have come off as more fake, and distracted from what's really important: the story itself.


Instead of focusing on how accurate an actor could imitate someone well known, instead I felt freed to just delve into the dreams and struggles of the characters. There's Crowe's alter ego William Miller, played wonderfully by newcomer Patrick Fugit, whose precocity belies his youthful appearance. He befriends one of the band groupies (a term the character eschews in favor of "band-aid") who goes by the moniker of Penny Lane, radiantly portrayed by Kate Hudson. Then there's the band Stillwater, made up of actors Jason Lee and Billy Cruddup, who are as convincing as musicians as real-life musicians Mark Kozalek and John Fedevich are as actors in the band. The cast is filled out with veterans of the screen like Frances McDormand who plays William's mother, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is music critic Lester Bangs, a mentor for William, as he was for Crowe in his formative years.

The film is much more than your typical coming of age story. It is well written, not just in terms of dialogue, but the structure of the story that draws you in and dares you not to care about these characters. It's smart and often funny. It's entertaining as it is moving. It's not high brow like some art films these days strive to be, but it's also not pandering and implausible. It's one that I was quite pleased found it's way to my TV screen. I suppose that's the magic of movies. Even when you've thought you've seen everything and there's nothing left that's worth watching, there are still surprises left to draw you in and remind you why a good story still matters.