Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous has received the 4K treatment, and best of all so has the Bootleg Cut. The Bootleg Cut of the flick is 37-minutes longer than the Theatrical Cut, and while the theatrical cut was still fantastic, the Bootleg Cut is just mind-blowingly better. It’s like when you watch the Extended Editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, as there’s just no going back to the theatrical versions once you’ve seen all that’s added to the story with the extra time given. The Bootleg version just adds so much more depth to every character and situation throughout that it should be seen as the only version of the film that exists – and now it exists in glorious 4K.
Before we jump into the film we must talk about the equally glorious Limited Edition Steelbook that’s been released to mark the occasion. The cover showcases the beautiful and memorable Penny Lane (Kate Hudson,) one of the groupies of the fictional band Stillwater (though she’s coined the term “band aids,” as she and her friends care more about the music than sleeping with the band – though they still do that too.) It’s a perfect choice of a cover for the case, not only showcasing one of the leads of the film, but also framing and colouring it in such a way that it looks like it was an image taken with the same polaroid camera (okay, a really nice, advanced polaroid camera behind the scenes) that travels with the band throughout the film and captures various moments of their journey along the way.
On the back of the case we’ve got Penny’s cowboy boot wearing feet kicked up in the air, carefree as always, with the same colouring and busy tone of the front of the case. This allows for a nice symmetry between both cover and back, while also focusing on the backstage antics that are what the majority of the film is about. It’s simple, yet stylish and a win on both ends.
When we open up the case we get a look at the rest of the cast with a group shot of Stillwater, our protagonist William Miller (Patrick Fugit,) as well as Penny and the rest of the “band aids”. It’s a full colour shot that spans across both sides of the case, and the darker background is a perfect contrast to the exterior images. As a whole it’s just a beautiful Steelbook and the perfect addition to any collection.
The film itself looks wonderful, keeping its filmic beauty while also providing an incredibly sharp, rich image. And as mentioned before, both versions of the film received the 4K remastering, which is great, as sometimes Director’s Cuts or Extended Editions simply have a Blu-ray disc copy thrown in to pad things out; however, here, Paramount has covered all the bases for the movie’s 4K release for fans to enjoy.
For those who aren’t familiar, Almost Famous is about 15-year-old William Miller, who was accelerated through school by his overbearing, yet loving mother (played perfectly by Frances McDormand) so that he ended up being in high school when he was just eleven. His mother’s actions drove his sister away when she turned 18, so while hesitant to allow her son to branch off into the world of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, she’s as supportive as she can be when he gets an assignment from the local editor (played by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman) of music magazine Cream to cover a Black Sabbath concert.
From there William is contacted by Rolling Stone magazine, who love his work and want to send him out on the road with Stillwater. Of course, Rolling Stone has no idea that William is only 15, and that’s a big part of where Crowe’s semi-autobiographical part mixes in, as he was hired on by Rolling Stone at 16 and sent on the road for a few weeks with a band. The two major players in the band are lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) and lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), who make up the majority of the drama within. It’s handled incredibly well by Crowe who doesn’t just make things stereotypical when it comes to feuding bandmates, and instead has a slow burn where the resentment the bandmates have with one another reaches various boiling points for one reason or another over the course of the film. It’s a gratifyingly natural feeling, and it’s just absolutely captivating storytelling.
The film takes place over a number of weeks, with William being pulled into this world he’s admired from afar for so long. He’s completely enamoured with Penny, though she’s mixed up with Russell and views William more as someone new to the fold that she’s taken under her wing in an attempt to show him the ropes of this very different lifestyle. As William tries to complete his writing task things with the band continue to come to a head, and the question of what angle William’s story may take also comes into question.
For me there are a few movies like this where it’s almost complete escapism while watching. All movies offer some form of escapism; however, this is just a world full of characters that are so easy to want to watch and learn more about that you don’t even feel like you’re watching a movie…you’re just experiencing things alongside them. There’s the basic story of William coming of age, entering a world that’s the complete opposite of what he was brought up in, while also trying to do right by both his job to deliver a proper article to Rolling Stone and this band that feels like he’s become a part of in some way; however, there’s just a lot more at play here than that and Crowe masterfully makes the viewer feel like they’re a part the whole ride.
Almost Famous just hits all the right emotional notes and is completely engrossing from start to finish. The Bootleg Cut is two hours and 42-minutes in length, but it’s just a joy to watch so unlike some films that overstay their welcome time is irrelevant with this one. It’s natural to say something like, “I wish it was even longer! It’s just so good!” but I honestly think that the Bootleg version is perfection across the board, runtime and all. Sure I’d love to see more of these characters, but in reality the story being told about each individual character, as well as them all as an ensemble is flawlessly crafted here to the point where there really is nothing left to say.
Well, there’s always something left to say, but in this case there’s just no need. What can be said is that this is a film that must be in your collection, and if you can get your hands on this Limited Edition 4K Steelbook, then there’s not many better ways to display it, and definitely no better way to view it.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review
The film has been “meticulously” remastered from a new 4K transfer under Crowe’s supervision, and is presented in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 – which looks superb. This isn’t a beyond-clean looking film, as it does keep its genuine filmic visuals; however, it’s not dirty or distracting or overly grainy (sans a couple of added scenes) and is the best the film has ever looked without question outside of the theater.
On the audio side of things we’ve got the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that has been transferred over from the previous release. It would’ve been nice to have gotten a complete overhaul on the audio side of things too, but it still comes off sounding great, the dialogue is clear, the music hits nicely when it should and the overall mix works harmoniously to never take you out of a scene.
Special Features:
Fans get a nice handful of new special features with this release, as well as a section entitled “Greatest Hits” for the features brought over from the previous Blu-ray release. First up we’ll delve into the new releases:
Filmmaker Focus – This is an 8-minute feature that sees Crowe looking back on his early years and the inspiration of the film, as well as why this project was so personal to him. He touches on a number of other things, including characters, shooting order and much more. Like most of the features, if you’re a fan of the film it’s worth checking out, even if it’s all broken up into multiple sittings.
Casting & Costumes – This is a 13-minute feature that takes a look at the costumes in the film, as well as audition tapes that Crowe speaks on when it comes to the casting process.
Rock School – This feature is just under 11-minutes in length and focuses on the training that the cast went through to portray Stillwater, as well as the writing process that brought the band’s songs to life.
Extended Scenes – There are 9-minutes of extended scenes to be found here, if you’re interested in seeing more.
Odds & Sods – There are almost 9-minutes of extra takes and various scenes found here.
Now we’ll delve into the extras that are carried over from the previous Blu-ray release:
Audio Commentary – This is a busy, yet fun and informative commentary that sees Crowe joined by various family and friends, speaking about the stories behind the film, his own life. There’s just loads here that fans will truly love and must give a listen to.
The Making of Almost Famous – This is a 25-minute feature that takes a deep dive into the making of the film, how it relates to Crowe’s real life experiences as well as bringing the film to life. There’s a lot here, but this is a spot where you really do want more.
Interview with Lester Bangs – This is a quick two-minute interview with the rock journalist.
Cameron Crowe’s Top Albums of 1973 – This is a 4-minute featurette that self-explanatorily sees Crowe talk about his top ten albums from that year.
Music Video – There’s a music video for “Fever Dog” by Stillwater for fans to enjoy.
Music Demo – This featurette comes in at just under 4-minutes and has the “Love Comes and Goes,” vocals by Nancy Wilson.
Rolling Stone Articles – There are seven Rolling Stone articles for fans to enjoy that focus on The Alman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, and Joni Mitchell.
B-Sides – This is a five and a half minute featurette that is a quick behind-the-scenes piece by Crowe and Scott Martin that was shot during the filming of the movie.
Cleveland Concert – This is the full Stillwater concert that comes in at just under 16-minutes in length, and is a fun addition for fans to enjoy.
Small Time Blues – This one comes in at just under 3-minutes in length.
Stairway – This is a 12-minute scene that Crowe wanted to use Stairway to Heaven for, but permission wasn’t granted. So he has a marker for the viewer to set up the song themselves to play out the scene the way he’d wished it could’ve been done had he been able to use the song.
Script – This is a digital copy of the script.
Paramount Pictures Presents Almost Famous. Written & Directed by: Cameron Crowe. Starring: Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, Frances McDormand, Zooey Deschanel, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon. Running time: Theatrical: 122 Minutes/Bootleg Cut: 162 Minutes. Rating: 14A. 4K Steelbook Blu-ray Released: June 13, 2021.
