Almost Famous is a semi-autobiographical film, written and directed by Cameron Crowe, and released in 2000. The film is a fictionalized account of Crowe as a teen-aged journalist for Rolling Stone, particularly inspired by his experiences accompanying the Allman Brothers on the road, which led to his first cover story for the magazine.
The film's award-winning soundtrack featured an eclectic mix of period rock, other period genres, and songs written expressly for the movie. Notable were Paul Simon's "America" and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters".
The film stars:
- Patrick Fugit as Crowe's alter ego, William Miller
- Billy Crudup, Jason Lee and Noah Taylor, as lead guitar player, lead singer and band manager respectively, of the fictitious band Stillwater, an amalgamation of several bands that Crowe wrote about
- Frances McDormand and Zooey Deschanel, as William's mother and sister, respectively
- Kate Hudson, Fairuza Balk, Anna Paquin, and Bijou Phillips, as groupies known as the "Band Aids" (Hudson's character Penny Lane was based on "rock star muse" Bebe Buell)
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, as journalism mentor Lester Bangs; Bangs was a real-life character.
The film received four Oscar nominations, one of which led to an award to Crowe for his screenplay. It was also awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
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