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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Almost Famous
DreamWorks


8.3

based on 39 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 82 votes
Read user comments
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: R for language, drug content and brief nudity

Starring Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anna Paquin, and Zooey Deschanel

In the 1970's, a high school boy (Fugit) is given an opportunity to follow and write a story about the hot new rock band Stillwater (with lead guitarist Crudup) as they tour the USA.

GENRE(S):	Romance
WRITTEN BY:	Cameron Crowe
DIRECTED BY:	Cameron Crowe
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 13, 2001 Video: March 13, 2001 Theatrical: September 13, 2000
RUNNING TIME:	122 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

Received four 2001 Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actress (2: Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand), Best Original Screenplay (won by Cameron Crowe), and Film Editing. Also received a Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Film.com Tom Keogh

A wondrous honesty.

100

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

If you haven't already sold your soul to rock & roll, Almost Famous should seal the deal.

100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

See it and it'll stay with you as your own memories do: funny, poignant, bittersweet and irreplaceable.

100

Time Richard Corliss

So Almost Famous is almost fabulous. Oh, all right. The movie's so clever and endearing, you can forget the almost.

100

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It's not only the most gentle and effortlessly funny movie so far this year, it's a film with a style and sensibility that wonderfully harkens back to Hollywood's golden age of sophisticated comedy, and in particular to the masterpieces of Crowe's filmmaking idol, Billy Wilder.

100

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An unqualified triumph, the year's best movie so far.

100

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

A rich, marvelous movie -- the kind that enchants on so many different levels, it leaves you feeling giddy.

100

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

A great movie -- and the best movie ever about the '70s rock era.

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

I loved this movie madly, and so will many of you.

100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Oh, what a lovely film. I was almost hugging myself while I watched it.

100

Film.com Robert Horton

You'll treasure this movie.

100

The New York Times Dana Stevens

What Mr. Crowe has done is nonetheless remarkable. He has made a movie about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll that you would be happy to take your mother to see.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Crowe, staying close to his memories, has gotten it, for perhaps the first time, onto the screen.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

One lucky guy, on a roll with rock.

TNT RoughCut J. Rentilly

Crowe has never been better.

Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky

The first relevant film about rock and roll and the music industry, the first film that lets you in on the secret.

TNT RoughCut Andy Klein

Fugit and Hudson, despite getting fifth and third billing, are really the stars here; and they give the movie a genuine center of gravity.

TNT RoughCut Andy Klein

Casting is perfect all down the line.

TV Guide Stephen Miller

Sharply observed, bittersweet and suffused with the kind of detail that only someone who lived through the era could summon up, Crowe's script is funny, heartfelt and very cool.

TNT RoughCut Susannah Breslin

A must-see.

LA Weekly Manohla Dargis

Crowe has made a hugely entertaining, nearly pitch-perfect film about rock & roll.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

It takes the rock movie into regions it has never been before.

Slate David Edelstein

Crowe's world is an open ecosystem --transcendentally open. This movie is his boombox held aloft.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Crowe has created a genuine love song for all those who've ever felt their lives to have been saved by rock & roll.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Hollywood filmmaking at its best, brimming over with feeling, texture, spirit, and several kinds of keenness that transmute experience into big pop myth.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Crowe gave Kate Hudson one pointer while making Almost Famous: Her character simply had to light up every room as soon as she walked into it.

USA Today Mike Clark

A movie that is easily likable.

Mr. Showbiz Cody Clark

Crowe's script is a thing of wonder, and he again proves himself to be an outstanding director of actors.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

More often than not the film casts an infectious, evocative spell.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Like rock 'n' roll itself, the movie's really all about girls. Even when -- no, especially when -- it's pretending not to be.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

Panoramic yet cozy, enthusiastically glib.

Variety Todd McCarthy

More gentle and modestly insightful than it is exhilarating or revelatory.

Newsweek David Ansen

Though acid is dropped, groupies are bartered like poker chips and rock-star egos flare like fireworks, what comes through is the relative innocence of that era.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

This has much of the warmth and feeling for adolescence that Crowe displayed in his first feature ("Say Anything"), though the slick showboating of "Jerry Maguire" isn't entirely absent either.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

This is wonderful stuff, as far as it goes.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Fugit gives a starmaking performance as the teenage reporter, and Crudup and Lee are excellent as the band's lead guitarist and singer, respectively.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Crowe is so good on mood and milieu that when Elton John's bubblegum ballad "Tiny Dancer" swells on the soundtrack, in this context it sounds like a hymn.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Has the sentiment and sweetness of a good coming-of-age movie but lacks the drive and pulse that makes for a great rock and roll movie.

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

A sweet but curiously unfulfilling story.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 82 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Susan L. gave it a10:
Camerpn Crowe, a marvelous soundtrack and a story set at the nadir of great rock music. What more do you want?

Diana L. gave it a10:
this movie made me think and so many things. Its wierd how can a person or act change your mind. im pretty sure everybody wants to be like peny lane. she so radicall and many ways. this is movie is one favorites. everybody should watched.

tim gave it a6:
Seems like a cheap knockoff of Rodney Bingenheimer's life. That's funny because Mr. Crow used to visit Rodney's club every chance he got. I just saying.

Moz G. gave it a10:
Kate Hudson is the heart of this movie; Billy Crudup is its soul. Between them they carry this already astonishing piece of cinema-almost-verite into the stratosphere. Fugit is a wonderful debutante, and his honesty completes the godhead.

Todd S gave it a10:
Amazing movie. I love Crudup, his indecision, not really sure where he's going. The stupid drama between the band that was so real. The coming of age for Young William. The passion of the fans and the love of rock and roll. Most importantly, the character of Penny Lane is amazing, as well as her relationships with William and Russel. Kate Hudson has never been better.

Blake J. gave it a10:
One of the few movies that can satisfy all tastes. All of the supporting actors and actresses make the movie. Frances McDormand's turn as Elaine is a landmark in film as far as "over-bearing" mother roles are concerned. Zooey Deschanel makes for the perfect foil character of the film. Of course, Kate Hudson's turn as "Penny Lane" is an unforgettable performance, and is surely the best of her career. I also thorougly enjoyed Phillip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Lester Bangs. This movie is perfect for all audiences. There is something in it for everyone. It is one of those movies that can be watched over and over again. Not to mention the soundtrack will bring anyone who is not already a Led Zeppelin, Elton John, or Joni Mitchell fan to go out and purchase some albums...

Ana k. gave it a10:
This movie made me want to pick up a guitar, and never let it go. Its a movie that once you watch you never forget. I sat in front of the TV for hours after it ended marveling the eloquence and beauty that it showed. This movie made Tiny Dancer my favorite song. It made me wish I was Kate Hudson, and I was a hippie, it made me wish I could live life like her. The soundtrack is amazing, and over a year after I saw it, I still have a guitar in my hand.

Almost Famous DreamWorks

Almost Famous
DreamWorks