"Almost Famous" - 9/08/02 - 9/14/02

Morticia · 09-05-2002, 06:08 AM

Instead of all of us viewing one film and discussing the themes, symbolism, and general craftsmanship (or lack thereof)....let's focus on a specific plot element or moment of one film.

The Film: Almost Famous
The Moment: Well, not really a moment (hey, I can 'cheat') -- more of a conjecture.

What does Penny Lane do after her trip to Morocco? Or, do you think she even leaves Morocco?

MrSoze · 09-10-2002, 02:01 AM

Greetings!

Busting out my favorite movie of 2000 for discussion on specific topic? Groovy.

I suppose there are two scenarios that occur to me- one exists on the level of 'the real world' and the other exists in the 'Almost Famous universe.'

I mean, they're really two different places. I LOVE Almost Famous- it's taken it's place on my favorite movies ever, seriously. But, the characters and situations are pretty idealized, so I'll offer both of what I could see happening.

In the 'Real world'- Penny's journey through the world is a case study in how a person does her best to both keep the world out and at the same time shout for attention and love. Her trip to Morocco isn't going to solve the real problems that she has in her life- indeed, it's only going to add to them, when she fails to find what she's looking for, and she will, because of the idealized nature of the trip in the first place. I can see her feelings of happiness and her bravado crumbling as she looks for that elusive companionship, that love that she craves. It happens in the movie, and for a person like Penny Lane, that is a cyclical pattern- she will only build up her happiness when it's tempered with some sort of misery. When she comes home, the ease with which others have moved on are going to make her sad, and she'll reflect deeply on her life, and fail to see the true impact she had with others. And that would be sad. She'll find a job of some type, and live out her life searching for something she'll never find.

Okay, that's my depressing real world scenario.

Now, in the Almost Famous Universe, here's what I see. Penny actually gets some sense of self-worth from her trip, simply because she actually followed up on one of the many fantastic things she swore she would do throughout the film. It could revitalize her, and actually allow her to see herself as the fantastic person she is. Again, she returns from Morocco, but she now finds happiness in a more measured way, working with musicians as more than a Band Aid, sheperding them through the dark times as a manager or producer. She'll find love, real love, with someone who appreciates her as more than property.

Of course, in Rick's little corner of the universe, She comes back and finds William, and they live happily ever after. That may be due to my love of happy endings, the fact that William could be my twin on the geekiness scale, and my crush on Kate Hudson.

Okay, that's what I've got.

Yours in the Force,
Rick Poehling

MrTony · 09-11-2002, 07:00 AM

I watched this again yesterday in preparation. Damn, what a great movie. BTW, if you're convinced that the Bootleg Cut is superior - as am I - at least go back and watch the theatrical cut in DTS. It's pretty awesome.

Now to the topic at hand...

My first reaction to Penny heading to Morocco was that she was just planning on chilling out for a while, like Mia Wallace in Amsterdam. But throughout the movie, while she talks about the trip and taking William with her, it becomes obvious that it's just another fantasy of hers. Her whole life is, in fact, an elaborate fantasy:

William: "Don't you know any regular people?"
Penny: "Famous people are just more interesting."

And William calls her on it during a pivotal scene in which he yells, "There is no Morocco! There never was!" Or something to that effect. Geez, Patrick Fugit is a good actor.

So then, in her last scene, we see her buying a ticket to Morocco. She actually made it happen.

My fiancee Gretchen thinks Penny stayed there. For much of the final act of the movie, Penny is bemoaning the fact that Russell has rejected her and doesn't love her the way she loves him. In the end, though, she rebuffs him by giving him William's address instead (although, she probably had multiple reasons for doing this - Russell certainly owed William an apology). And then when she makes the fantasy trip to Morocco a reality, she is leaving the old fantasy behind.

So according to Gretchen, Penny stays there, finds herself, and never looks back. I'm not so sure - maybe she finds herself and then decides one day, "Okay, that's enough" and comes back, a little more grounded, but still idealistic.

I'm much more confident as to what happens to the rest of the characters. Stillwater end up releasing a few more reasonably good, but not quite classic albums and end up being overplayed on classic rock radio, like Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Eagles. They then reunite for a tour in the 1990s.

William, of course, has a long and successful career as a rock writer. He then writes and directs a movie about his teen years, with Russell as technical consultant.

3DMan · 09-12-2002, 01:18 AM

I love this fucking movie. It tries to replicate the experience of "being there" through inside details rather than create what we already know about the era and subject.

The Untitled Bootleg Cut further expands the feeling and love of music, but what I really wanted and still didn't get was an understanding of the writing process. How he pulls it all together for Rolling Stone, rather than just seeing the cover. I wanted to see and/or hear the article, I though it would have been a perfect end credits sequence.

09-05-2002, 06:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
Morticia Administrator Emeritus Film Class Goddess Part-Time PRN Princess Panty Thief Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Devil's Point. Burn baby burn!	"Almost Famous" - 9/08/02 - 9/14/02 Instead of all of us viewing one film and discussing the themes, symbolism, and general craftsmanship (or lack thereof)....let's focus on a specific plot element or moment of one film. The Film: Almost Famous The Moment: Well, not really a moment (hey, I can 'cheat') -- more of a conjecture. What does Penny Lane do after her trip to Morocco? Or, do you think she even leaves Morocco? __________________ Nope, you really haven't lived until you've fed a naked Fire Dancer a S'more...cooked from her own flaming baton. I reject your reality and substitute my own! "Freeze dried moles. Price as marked." -- Nixon, Suicide Girl Last edited by Flash Ahhh : 09-08-2002 at 07:30 AM.

09-10-2002, 02:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
MrSoze Supporting Actor Join Date: Apr 2002	Greetings! Busting out my favorite movie of 2000 for discussion on specific topic? Groovy. I suppose there are two scenarios that occur to me- one exists on the level of 'the real world' and the other exists in the 'Almost Famous universe.' I mean, they're really two different places. I LOVE Almost Famous- it's taken it's place on my favorite movies ever, seriously. But, the characters and situations are pretty idealized, so I'll offer both of what I could see happening. In the 'Real world'- Penny's journey through the world is a case study in how a person does her best to both keep the world out and at the same time shout for attention and love. Her trip to Morocco isn't going to solve the real problems that she has in her life- indeed, it's only going to add to them, when she fails to find what she's looking for, and she will, because of the idealized nature of the trip in the first place. I can see her feelings of happiness and her bravado crumbling as she looks for that elusive companionship, that love that she craves. It happens in the movie, and for a person like Penny Lane, that is a cyclical pattern- she will only build up her happiness when it's tempered with some sort of misery. When she comes home, the ease with which others have moved on are going to make her sad, and she'll reflect deeply on her life, and fail to see the true impact she had with others. And that would be sad. She'll find a job of some type, and live out her life searching for something she'll never find. Okay, that's my depressing real world scenario. Now, in the Almost Famous Universe, here's what I see. Penny actually gets some sense of self-worth from her trip, simply because she actually followed up on one of the many fantastic things she swore she would do throughout the film. It could revitalize her, and actually allow her to see herself as the fantastic person she is. Again, she returns from Morocco, but she now finds happiness in a more measured way, working with musicians as more than a Band Aid, sheperding them through the dark times as a manager or producer. She'll find love, real love, with someone who appreciates her as more than property. Of course, in Rick's little corner of the universe, She comes back and finds William, and they live happily ever after. That may be due to my love of happy endings, the fact that William could be my twin on the geekiness scale, and my crush on Kate Hudson. Okay, that's what I've got. Yours in the Force, Rick Poehling __________________ "The Greatest Trick this Post ever pulled was convincing the world that it had merit of some type."

09-11-2002, 07:00 AM	#3 (permalink)
MrTony Forum Wise Guy Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Waterloo, Iowa, USA	I watched this again yesterday in preparation. Damn, what a great movie. BTW, if you're convinced that the Bootleg Cut is superior - as am I - at least go back and watch the theatrical cut in DTS. It's pretty awesome. Now to the topic at hand... My first reaction to Penny heading to Morocco was that she was just planning on chilling out for a while, like Mia Wallace in Amsterdam. But throughout the movie, while she talks about the trip and taking William with her, it becomes obvious that it's just another fantasy of hers. Her whole life is, in fact, an elaborate fantasy: William: "Don't you know any regular people?" Penny: "Famous people are just more interesting." And William calls her on it during a pivotal scene in which he yells, "There is no Morocco! There never was!" Or something to that effect. Geez, Patrick Fugit is a good actor. So then, in her last scene, we see her buying a ticket to Morocco. She actually made it happen. My fiancee Gretchen thinks Penny stayed there. For much of the final act of the movie, Penny is bemoaning the fact that Russell has rejected her and doesn't love her the way she loves him. In the end, though, she rebuffs him by giving him William's address instead (although, she probably had multiple reasons for doing this - Russell certainly owed William an apology). And then when she makes the fantasy trip to Morocco a reality, she is leaving the old fantasy behind. So according to Gretchen, Penny stays there, finds herself, and never looks back. I'm not so sure - maybe she finds herself and then decides one day, "Okay, that's enough" and comes back, a little more grounded, but still idealistic. I'm much more confident as to what happens to the rest of the characters. Stillwater end up releasing a few more reasonably good, but not quite classic albums and end up being overplayed on classic rock radio, like Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Eagles. They then reunite for a tour in the 1990s. William, of course, has a long and successful career as a rock writer. He then writes and directs a movie about his teen years, with Russell as technical consultant. __________________ Prevent tornadoes before they happen: Make sure that warm, moist air fronts do not converge with cool, dry ones. Movies, Music and a few Games My Top 20 Films

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09-12-2002, 01:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
3DMan SOex Anonymous Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Dallas, TX	I love this fucking movie. It tries to replicate the experience of "being there" through inside details rather than create what we already know about the era and subject. The Untitled Bootleg Cut further expands the feeling and love of music, but what I really wanted and still didn't get was an understanding of the writing process. How he pulls it all together for Rolling Stone, rather than just seeing the cover. I wanted to see and/or hear the article, I though it would have been a perfect end credits sequence.