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Between the start of the Olympics and a lousy selection of films, the box-office top ten posted its lowest total in four years. But it wasn't all bad news in Tinseltown; Cameron Crowe's autobiographical Almost Famous debuted in limited release and collected a whopping $17,669 in each of 131 theaters—also collecting the year's best reviews to date.

Although we usually lead off with the box-office winners, the low totals for The Watcher and Bait don't exactly qualify them as hot tickets. Rather, the per-screen average of eighth-place finisher Almost Famous makes it a much stronger candidate for the week's hottest film. Christian critics gave glowing reviews to this story of a 15-year-old who goes on tour with a rock band as a reporter for Rolling Stone, much like writer/director Crowe did in 1973. "The perspective of Almost Famous is large, compassionate, and as wide-eyed with wonder as [the teen] William himself," raves Jeffrey Overstreet of Promontory Artists' Looking Closer. "It walks a tightrope, never endorsing the 'seize the day' indulgence of the rock stars (although it is honest about the pleasures of that world), and never judging the rebels either, allowing them to learn some moral lessons along the way. … Just as he did in Jerry Maguire, Cameron Crowe finds hope for the broken. And it's not empty hope." Preview's Mary Draughon agrees: "Almost Famous does not glamorize the musicians' immoral lifestyle, and William's genuine caring, honesty and innocence ultimately impacts their lives." Michael Elliott of Crosswalk.com attributes the teen's strength to his mother, played by Frances McDormand. "William, though the youngest and most inexperienced, is perhaps the most mature, responsible, and grounded individual on the tour. This can only be attributed to the manner in which he was raised. Such qualities are learned, not inherited. … McDormand is nothing less than awesome in her role as an opinionated and doting mother and philosophy professor." Movieguide was also impressed by William's mother, who isn't an object of ridicule but of strength. "McDormand is a treasure to behold as William's mother. Despite some flaky comments, she does an excellent job of portraying the warmth that only a strong, concerned parent can give. The quirks in her character's nature add zest to that strength, making it more memorable than it otherwise would have been." This respect for integrity also finds its way into the movie's outlook on sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, Movieguide says: "The movie is not excessively salacious. … [Crowe] is not interested in showing viewers explicit sex and nudity, or assaulting their eardrums with heavy metal music or music with vulgar lyrics. He's mainly interested in the moral, redemptive themes in his story. In fact, he is so interested in them that some critics might accuse him of being overly optimistic and sentimental, to the point of distorting reality. These qualities are what give the movie its charm, however." But for the Dove Foundation's Phil Boatwright, no redemptive themes outweigh the depiction of drug use, even if it's not glamorized. "Although the content is not exploitive, but rather used to further this story of road life with an up-and-coming '70s band, the fact remains that objectionable language, drug use and sexual activity are a part of this film. … I maintain that the purpose of art is not merely to reveal what life is, but to exemplify what it could be." For those who choose to see the film anyway (and it does warrant thought; each reviewer emphasized to take the R rating seriously), Boatwright has good news in store: "As a film critic, I honestly enjoyed this film. I love good dialogue, sensitive performances and an observant story that's about something. … [It] contains a life-lesson reminding us that true happiness comes not from what we can get, but what we give."

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September (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44