I loved Almost Famous (2000). It was the world I inhabited in my late teens—in my imagination as I ground our hour after hour studying in the library instead of traveling the country with a rock n roll band. But when more than 150 critics place Almost Famous in their top ten of the year, there must be much more going on in the movie. Good acting for one. Kate Hudson, for example, is radiant and convincing—deserving of her Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress. For another, the main character is an unusual and interesting kid. Fifteen or sixteen years old, he is totally uncool, and that is his strength. In 1973 that is believable, but I don’t know about today. For another, a relevant theme threads its way unobtrusively through the story: “get real.” When the lead guitar player of the band vows to get real, he drinks LSD, leaps from the roof of a house, and cannot remember later what he said. There must be a better answer, and, to an extent, the precocious, uncool kid becomes a touchstone.
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