18-North Shore News — sy September 29, 2000

@ Almost Famous kk*E (out of 5) Written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Starring Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and Kate

COOL people join rock bands. Social outcasts just write about them. Cameron Crowe was one of the latter.

The director of such super-cool films as Say Anything and Singles was anything but at the tender young age of 16, when he joined the staff of Rolling

- Stone magazine.

Crowe finally tells the most interesting story of all — his own — in Almost Famous, his first tilm since 1996's Jerry Maguire.

Patrick Fugit (in his first film role) plays the Crowe character, William Miller, who struggles to keep his integrity (and his virginity) intact when he goes on a road trip with the band Stillwater.

During the tour William befriends Russeli Hammond (Billy Crudup), Stillwater’s lead guitarist, and falls in love with the beautiful Penny

.. Lane (Kate Hudson), who, naturally, is in love with

Russell. Penny Lane is one of the “band- aids”, one caste above groupic in the rocs- star world.

The band faces the inevitable ego conflicts, integrity vs. big money choices, and the challenge to keep hold of where they came from as their populari- TY grows,

“But while the concept of the VIP backstage pass is unfamiliar territory for most of us, the central issues in the film are not. William struggles with universal teenage problems: first love, whether or not to be seduced by the “in” crowd, how to break away from his mother (played brilliantly by Frances McDormand) and how to be himself.

He gets some invaluable advice from the legendary Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman as the real-life contributor to Creem magazine) about not getting too close to one’s subjects, and why being uncool is a gift.

The quality of acting is high across the board, with good performances by Jason Lee, Zovey Deschanel, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk and Noah Tavlor (even °70s leg- end Peter Frampton makes a cameo) and excellent break- through performances by Fugit and Kate Hudson.

‘Hudson’s portrayal of 16- year-old Penny Lane is magi- cal to watch. She manages to give the perennial party-girl a paper-thin fragility that’s dis- arming. Nowhere is this more evident than in the scene where William has to break the truth to Penny about her real worth to the band.

(Hudson wouldn't have

Exhibition Dates:October 3 - 29, 2000 °

. é Gallery hours: Tuesday - Sunday 11:00am - 5:00 pm

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1414 Argyle Avenue at Ambleside Landing

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CAMERON Crowe’s Almost Famous now showing at Esplanade 6 Cinemas.

had to look far to research the groupie role: her boytriend is Chris Robinson, lead singer of the Black Crowes.)

McDormand’s character transcends the “don’t do drugs” stereotype: you may not like what she has to say, but damn, you admire the way she says it.

“Fugit, in his feature debut, conveys subtle geeki- ness: without a retainer and

without his voice cracking, traditional cop-out indicators of pubescent awkwardness.

Almost Famaus is almost flawless. My only criticism is the occasional over-reach for a laugh: as when the band is offering at-death’s-door con- fessions, or when one charac- ter discusses the wonders of an early fax machine.

The film doesn’t aim to bea great documentary of early °70s rock, or of rock journalism; the story here is

really the coming-of-age tale of William and the wild ride that could have taken him in a whole new direction. That Crowe doesn’t aggrandize himself and his story through the role of William, allowing the rock stars to be the stars while William is an observer, is a credit to the director.

An excellent offering from the always-impressive Cameron Crowe that will no doubt be recognized at tro- phy time.

& Park & Tilford Cineplex 200 — 333 Brooksbank, North Vancouver (985-3911)

Urban Legend: Final Cut (14) — 1:10, 7, 9:15 p.m.

Nurse Betty (14A) — 1, 7:05, 9:30 p.m.

Saving Grace (PG) — 1:40, 6:50, 9 p.m.

The Watcher (4A) — 1:30, 7:20, 9:35 p.m.

Woman on Top (14) — 1:50, 7:25, 9:40 p.m.

Bring It On (PG) — 1:20, 7:2 ih, 9:20 p.m.

@ Esplanade 6 Cinemzs

200 W. Esplanade, North Vancouver (983-2762)

Almost Famous (14A) —Fri, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 7:10, 9:35 Sar, Sun 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 9:35 Bait (14A) —Fri, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 7:15, 9:50 Sar, Sun 4, 7:15, 9:50 p.m.

Chicken Run — Sat, Sun 1:50 Duets (PG) — Fri, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 7:25, 9:45 Sar, Sun 1:45, 4:25, 7:25, 9:45 p.m. Gladiator (18A) -- Fri, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 7:30 Sat, Sun 1:55 7:30 p.m,

Remember the Titans (G) Fri, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 7, 9:30 Sat, Sun 1:35, 4:05, 7, 9:30 p.m. The Exorcist (Subject to classifi- - cation) — Fri, Mon, Tuc, Wed, Thu 7:05, 9:40 Sat, Sun 1:30, 4:10, 7:05, 9:40

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