“Almost Famous” (directed by Cameron Crowe, 2000)

    The critic is an individual who is able to say things based on their own opinions. Many people won’t always agree with what one writes, but some people can agree with what you say about something. The criticism can either help a person or make things worse for them. “Almost Famous” is a perfect example of this.
    “Almost Famous” takes place in 1973 in California where 16-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is aspiring to be a rock journalist. He is shown the ropes of rock journalism by Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and goes out to begin some reviewing. While reviewing a Black Sabbath concert, he meets rock band, Stillwater. There, the band invites him to more of their shows and begins traveling on the road with them. At the same time, William gets a call from Rolling Stone offering him a job to interview Stillwater for the issue. At the same time, he falls in love with a “Band-Aid” groupie named Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). The film takes us on a roller coater of experiences in the rock and roll life style as William attempts to get his interview with the band.
    The film is based on actual events that happened in director Cameron Crowe’s life. Crowe had been writing music reviews for an underground magazine out in California when he was a teenager. Then, he met Lester Bangs who sort of showed him the ropes about writing and interviewing rock and roll bands. Crowe eventually was hired a job at Rolling Stone when he was 16 years old. The film is based mainly on the experiences that he had going on the road with Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers Band.
    The entire cast is very great in this film. Patrick Fugit shows a great sense of youth while playing William Miller, which shows that anyone can have a love for anything and be able to write about it. Frances McDormand (“Fargo”), who plays William’s mother, shows us a character so strict that you don’t want to like her, but at the same time you know that she wants to make sure her son is safe. Kate Hudson shows a performance that she is vulnerable and heartbroken even though she is a fan of the band because she is unable to escape the rock star life style. The rest of the cast features Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, a young Jimmy Fallon, as well as cameos from Rainn Wilson and Mitch Hedberg, all add something special to painting a picture of rock and roll in 1973.
    The importance of the critic in this film shows something special. It shows that critics can write about whatever they want, but have to be honest at the same time. If you’re not being honest in your writing, then it would not make you look good at all. If you’re honest, then everyone will believe that what they are reading is real. That is what criticism is all about. It is about being honest and true in your writing.
    In the end, “Almost Famous” paints a picture of what the critic can do to help an artist succeed. The critic can help get the artist more attention and it can lead to them doing amazing things. We can learn from the critic that honesty is the most important thing in your writing is your honesty and that affects the way you write and how your share your own voice.