Almost Famous 4K review: Cameron Crowe’s love letter to rock n’ roll comes to Ultra HD

“It’s all happening.”

Just over two decades following its theatrical release, Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe’s loving tribute to classic rock n’ roll, has finally come to 4K UHD via Paramount Pictures. The two-disc set features the theatrical cut of the film from 2000 alongside Crowe’s extended “Bootleg Cut,” with some great new bonus features and all the extras from the original stacked DVD and Blu-ray releases.

The Film 

Based on Crowe’s own experiences as a teenage rock journalist in the 1970s, Almost Famous is a moving and evocative look at the rock era that followed the Hippie explosion of the ’60s, just before it transitioned into a money-churning corporate beast. The film follows the 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) who finagles an assignment from Rolling Stone to cover the up-and-coming rock band Stillwater on tour. A fictional yet highly believable band inspired by the likes of The Allman Brothers Band and Bad Company, the band is led by the charismatic frontman Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), and the reserved guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup).

As William begins to live his rock star dreams and enter the mysterious and inviting world of touring musicians, he falls under the spell of “Penny Lane” (Kate Hudson), a beautiful young “band-aid” who reveals the inner magic and secrets that exist behind the backstage curtain.

Filled with incredible performances from the leads and featuring some unforgettable supporting roles (including the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as the fiery rock critic Lester Bangs and Frances McDormand as William’s protective mother), Almost Famous is an endlessly rewatchable coming-of-age story that feels like it’s plucked from a completely different time. Given that we’re now almost as far from the film’s release date as the ’70s were when the film was shot, it’s a testament to Crowe’s script, direction, and the killer music and performances that Almost Famous still feels as timeless as ever.

Video / Audio

Almost Famous comes to 4K UHD for the first time with this long-awaited set. Housed in an attractive steelbook adorned with Kate Hudson as Penny Lane on the cover, the 4K versions of both cuts of the film look fantastic. Likely in a nod to the era in which it’s based, Almost Famous always had a bit of a soft look to it, which is captured perfectly here. This isn’t necessarily the type of film you’d throw on to showcase the full power of a 4K presentation, but the HDR and increased clarity bring out the meticulous costuming and lush cinematography in a whole new way.

On the audio front, the discs include the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the prior Blu-ray release. Both cuts sound great, but apart from the few concert sequences, there isn’t much here to engage a wide soundstage. On the other hand, it sure does sound impressive when you crack up “Fever Dog.”

Extras

The original DVD and Blu-ray releases were already stacked with bonus content, and Paramount has included all of that here, along with a handful of new special features. With this 21st-anniversary release put together in the midst of the pandemic, Crowe is the only one to physically appear in any of the newly filmed interviews, but much of the cast appears in voice-over narration to give this the feel of a (virtual) reunion.

The new extras include a featurette with Crowe delving into the motivations and execution of the film, a visual essay on the film’s remarkable costuming and the casting process, a few extended scenes, and more. The highlight of the new material is a featurette on the exhaustive “rock school” the actors went through (with an assist from Peter Frampton and Nancy Wilson of Heart) to properly embody Stillwater. Featuring footage of the band first taking the stage at a small crew party to commandeering a proper theatre stage during filming, it’s truly impressive to see how natural Stillwater eventually comes off in the film (especially since Crudup couldn’t play a note of guitar when he accepted the role).

Check out the full list of new and archival extras below.

Final Thoughts

If you’re a fan of Almost Famous, this is the version of the film to pick up. The technical aspects are a great improvement over previous releases, and the discs actually feature new and worthwhile content in addition to all the extras from the earlier releases. Given that most of us haven’t been able to experience a live rock show in some time (and may never get to with the same abandon as we did pre-pandemic), Almost Famous makes us remember why we all fell in love with rock n’ roll in the first place. At the same time, it’s a heartfelt coming-of-age story about a young teen who learns to love and appreciate both of his families — those back home, and the adopted ones he meets on the road.

The Almost Famous 4K UDH steelbook is available now.