"Almost Famous": The Exposure of Fraud and Reminder of Truthfulness

“My advice to you. I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest, and unmerciful.” These words uttered by the adaptation of Lester Bangs (performed by Philip Seymour Hoffman) can be written in the critic bible as the number one rule: Be honest and unmerciful. Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film “Almost Famous” tells of William Miller, a 15-year-old rock critic sent to cover the band Stillwater for Rolling Stone magazine. The movie depicts William’s first experiences with rock ‘n’ roll on the road, sex, drugs, love, and being true to one’s self and the music. “Almost Famous” perfectly illustrates that the root of criticism should not be the money, fame, or pressure; instead it should be about the passion, art, and sincerity.

William Miller, played by Patrick Fugit, is a young kid who is hungry for rock ‘n’ roll in its earnest most genuine form. After he meets his mentor, the famed blunt rock critic Lester Bangs, he is assigned to write a story about the up-and-coming band Stillwater for Rolling Stone magazine. Faced with the difficulty of writing a review that will portray the band in good light, he is forced to decide between the outrageous rock ‘n’ roll world owned by money and persona, or the image Stillwater wishes to be represented as for his main story. As a critic, he remembers that he must be honest and represent the music and lifestyle as he saw it, without the influence of those around him.

But the movie isn’t only about the rock critic. In an odd way, it is about the transformation of rock ‘n’ roll in the 70’s into a commercial business. The fervor and artist were disappearing as the music industry transformed into a business absorbed by fame, money, and parties. What was once human flesh and emotion became plastic and disposable. Rock criticism as the same time, despite its young age, was morphing into the same thing. It was about writing good reviews for a band that would in turn become your “friend”. It was about getting famous- almost. Fortunately, critics like Lester Bangs and Cameron Crowe were able to hold onto what was true by writing with no boundaries or shame. They were writing for arts sake, another golden rule of criticism.

“Almost Famous” is an “honest and unmerciful” film that exposes rock ‘n’ roll and criticism as it is, no qualms about it. Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece teaches the lesson that all walks of life benefit from: Be true to yourself.