The Most Perfect Movie Ever Made: Almost Famous

Almost Famous is #2 on my list of all time favorite movies. The only thing that keeps it from replacing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the #1 spot are sentimental reasons and my love for Kate Winslet. But I do believe that Almost Famous is the most perfect movie ever made. Hands down. Eternal Sunshine has some excess here and there, some repetition, and some dialogue that is not necessary. But everything about Almost Famous builds to the story, to move things forward. 

Band-Aids.

I do this thing where I will recommend a movie to a friend, and then get insecure about it, that maybe the movie wasn't as great as I thought it was, so I have to rush to re-watch it before they watch it, so I can warn them if it's really worth their time. Is that ridiculous? Probably, but I just think, sometimes, movies mean something to you because of where you are, because of who you see them with. Only a few can transcend through those situational circumstances and rise to a level of consistently awesome. Let me give you an example:

V For Vendetta. In my mind this is one of my favorite movies. I love "superheroes," I love rebellion, I love Natalie Portman. I watched it a few years ago with some friends and we all just ate it up. But today I re-watched it and thought...man, this is long. I also thought it felt like 3 different movies. AND I picked up on some cheese that I had not noticed before. Not to mention there's this one scene in it that seemed like this climactic moment and it fell really short for me this time around. It felt rhetorical and fabricated. And yet, the movie was so built up in my mind. Now, don't get me wrong. I still like it. But it's not what I thought it was. Not what I remembered.

What do you love about music? To begin with, everything.

Not the case with Almost Famous. I remembered this as a fantastic movie, and it totally is. YOU GUYS...IT'S SOOO GOOD! From the very first moment until the last, it is perfection. Every word, every look, every prop is perfectly placed, perfectly timed, perfectly played. And the story is wonderful.  The coming of age story for William, the coming to terms story for the band, the becoming yourself story with Penny Lane. They all wrap around each other in this beautiful way...and of course, it's all about music, which makes it even more perfect. And the characters! If William isn't the most adorable character ever, then who is! Penny Lane is ideal and encompasses sooo much. Russell is sexy, but I mean, he's just so...Russell. And the mom (Frances McDormand), is brilliant.

Some of my favorite scenes are: 

• When William finds out he's 11 and screams out, "ELEVEN!" 
• When Russell and William go to the party with the "real people" of Topeka and before Russell declares himself a "golden god" he is spewing epiphanies and this guy says, "Wanna see me feed a mouse to my snake?" and Russell responds sooo awesomely, "YES."

You are home.

• When Penny Lane and William are talking outside and she cries and asks, "What kind of beer?"
• And of course...who has EVER heard Tiny Dancer the same way after the bus scene?

These are just a few moments I love, but the entire movie is really one seamless stream of perfection. The actors are all cast perfectly. And as if I didn't already want to live in the late 60's early 70's this movie always reminds me that I was born at the wrong time. 

I would follow up with a question, but your argument/conversation is irrelevant on this one. I have spoken. ;)