(Almost) Amazing

"Be honest and unmerciful" says rock icon Lester Bangs (Patrick Seymour Hoffman) to William Miller (Patrick Fugit) in the movie Almost Famous (2000). To be honest, I am not the most honest person in my life but this movie struck me and I saw how honesty and passion are the perfect ingredients for living life.

To this date, I have never researched on a movie that I am writing about. I am only concerned of what  a movie says to me--more on a reflective stuff-- and I didn't care how the critics say, much more, rate a certain movie. However, this movie made me push for a little more so a hit on RottenTomatoes and read some movie reviews about Almost Famous. I found out that it got 88% rating in rotten tomatoes and got quite nice reviews from movie critics. I will not talk about them here because they get so technical there.

The movie features rock n' roll and I am the number one discriminatory person against those kind of music mostly because I just don't like that kind of music. Just plainly that-- no reason at all. Then suddenly came this movie (which I watched out of boredom) saying that music chooses the person and I was like, "Rock n' roll didn't choose me." The music that chose me is the music behind Little Mermaid, Lion King and Rent which made me look up to "La Vie Boheme" as the musical perfection. I found within me a personification of William's mother who's thinks that those kind of music is a bad influence. The movie made me realize I am in no position to judge a person with his choice of music as a basis after all, I am in no position to judge at all.

You see, I am not a kind of person you'll see jumping up and down and banging my head wildly in a crowd in front of a rock stage. I also disgust those people who almost line their eye at least a quarter of an inch thick and wearing their bangs all over their face and eventually slit their wrists. I am the kind of person listening to There's A Fine, Fine Line and Journey to the Past  and act out the emotion of the song through dancing and theatrical gestures (So my brother is frequently annoyed when I burst out singing a song amidst household chores). Almost Famous made me realize that as much as I think those people on a almost pandemonic rock concert are crazy, I am as much as a lunatic.

But the movie is more than musical discriminatory. It is also about growing up and having a perspective in life. We can see the total transformation of William from a misfit boy to a mature person who understands the realities of life and the existence of true love. Kate Hudson's character saw the difference between a die-hard fanatic infatuation to true love. Lester saw the values of friendship. And among other, each character makes the movie work through making subtle but strong impact to us audience.

This movie opened my eyes to the diversity of culture; more specifically, seeing as music as an extension of poetry and another portal for fillings. Music chooses people as a wand chooses the wizard. Great Movie, Must see!

PS
Sorry for making this post late. I am so hooked up with gay flicks and As The World Turns. I'll finish the two articles I'm lagging.