In San Diego in 1973, 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) has been hooked on rock 'n' roll ever since his departing older sister bequeathed him her record collection. William befriends rock journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who gives him some important advice: if you're going to write about rock bands, don't make friends with them. Assigned by Rolling Stone magazine, whose editor doesn't know how young he is, William embarks on a national tour with the up and coming Stillwater, despite the misgivings of his mother (Frances McDormand), and he soon finds himself attracted to Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).
Cameron Crowe's semi autobiographical film may soft-pedal the sex and drugs of the music scene in the '70s, but it's still an exciting inside look at the world of popular music of almost 30 years ago. Billy Crudup as Stillwater's lead guitarist, Jason Lee as the lead singer and Noah Taylor as the manager, give sharp, intelligent performances, but it's Kate Hudson – daughter of Goldie Hawn – that you'll remember as Penny, the girl who sleeps with Crudup but who is loved only by the gentle, naive William, who has all kinds of problems getting those all-important interviews with members of the band. It's a sweet, rather wonderful film, painful at times, but also great fun for its insights into the world of rock, and, for my money, it`s much better than Crowe's award-winning Jerry Maguire.
