Cameron Crowe's Film Almost Famous

Cameron Crowe’s film Almost Famous, released in 2001, has been praised as a love letter to rock and roll. The film centers around William Miller, a 15-year-old aspiring journalist who has been hired by Rolling Stone magazine to write an article on the fictitious band Stillwater as they tour North America in the spring of 1973. While on the tour, William’s eyes are opened to the realities of the rock scene and he soon realizes that many members of the scene are obsessed with their image to the point that they let their personal relationships fall apart. William also realizes how false Stillwater’s supposed love for their fans is, as they trade one of their biggest fans, a groupie named Penny Lane, for fifty dollars and a pack of beer as soon

William tells the band that his article will be the cover story for Rolling Stone magazine, which excites the band so much that they break into their own rendition of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show’s “Cover of the Rolling Stone”. Throughout this ecstatic exchange, the camera cuts between shots of William, members of Stillwater, and Penny, who has followed the band to New York without their knowing. The shots of Penny show her smiling at Russell, the member of Stillwater she has fallen in love with. She attempts to keep his attention on her while he pretends to be ignoring her presence. Penny becomes increasingly upset, all while Stillwater continues rambunctiously celebrating their victory. By alternating between Stillwater’s excitement and Penny’s sadness, Crowe juxtaposes the two extreme emotions being felt and draws attention to how unimportant Penny really is in the eyes of the band. She has supported them throughout their career and yet she has been excluded from the celebration of their success to the point that it is as if she no longer exists. This scene highlights the disjunction between groupies and musicians, with Penny’s sadness being accentuated by the joyous mood that is shown in the consistent cuts to the celebrating

As this occurs, Elton John’s “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” fades into the scene and continues until William finds an intoxicated and distraught Penny in her hotel room. The song contains lyrics like “But now I know that rose trees never grow / in New York City” and is about the gritty reality of New York and how much that reality contradicts with the public’s glamorous perception of the city. This can just as easily be applied to Penny’s current situation, as her story proves that the seemingly glamorous lifestyle of a groupie is not as amazing as it may appear to be. Instead, groupies are often forgotten by the famous men they adore and love. This is exactly what happens to Penny at the hands of Stillwater, who have chosen to trade her off because she may potentially ruin Russel’s relationship. The lyrics of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” add to the gravitas of the scene, as they are representative of the realizations that Penny and William are both coming to about the rock scene and its artifice. Using a song that parallels the events taking place on screen essentially reiterates the importance of the scene in the minds of the audience, as Crowe saw fit to depict the message of the scene in more than one