For 15 sensational seasons, the alluring Pauley Perrette became a breakout star in the popular and long-running military police procedural NCIS, serving up an unforgettable performance as the eccentric and savvy forensic scientist Abby Sciuto from 2003 to 2018. Perrette was nominated for three People’s Choice Awards for her scene-stealing performance as Abby, with both the quirky character and enduring series becoming synonymous with the actress.
Many people may have forgotten that before joining the hit drama NCIS, Perrette had actually appeared in the star-studded 2000 dramedy Almost Famous, which featured some of Hollywood’s finest performers, such as Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, and Frances McDormand and memorably took place in the 1970s as an ambitious teenage journalist toured with the rock band Stillwater. The Oscar-winning flick is celebrating its 25th anniversary and is just begging to be re-watched in honor of this wonderous milestone.
Before she was helping solve complicated cases and stealing the show as the quirky and brilliant forensic scientist Abby Sciuto in the fan-favorite police procedural NCIS, the talented Pauley Perrette appeared in a 2000 cult classic that took the world by storm. Cameron Crowe’s critically acclaimed dramedy Almost Famous touts a sensational cast of both established and former up-and-comers, including Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, and Zooey Deschanel, and is a nostalgia-fueled, semi-autobiographical film based on Crowe’s own experiences as a teenager writing for Rolling Stone.
Set in 1973, the story focuses on 15-year-old child prodigy William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he is given the opportunity to pursue his ambitious career aspirations by being chosen to tour with the fictitious band Stillwater and write a cover story about the group for Rolling Stone. Lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Crudup) quickly takes a liking to the ambitious William as he shadows the band and travels the country with them, as does the wise and vivacious veteran groupie Penny Lane (Hudson), whom the teen becomes smitten with.
Despite attempting to remain neutral and level-headed when it comes to writing his piece, William begins to lose his objectivity as he becomes integrated within the band and observes tension and animosity amongst Stillwater’s members, leaving him pondering what to include in the article. As personal resentments and conflicts begin to erupt, William discovers that both life as a rock star and wannabe music journalist are far more complicated than he could have ever imagined.
A scene from This is Spinal Tap
The Best Fictional Bands in Movies, Ranked
Some fake bands are so good we wish they were real. Here are the best fictional bands in movies, ranked.
Pauley Perrette’s Role in ‘Almost Famous’
Pauley Perrette in Almost FamousDreamWorks Distribution, LLC.
In the lauded, star-studded dramedy, Perrette had a small-yet-impactful role as the lively radio DJ Alice Wisdom, who strikes up a spirited conversation with the late and great Philip Seymour Hoffman’s music critic and journalist Lester Bangs (a fictionalized version of the real-life critic). Since Almost Famous was heavily inspired by Crowe’s own experiences writing for Rolling Stone, the decorated director allegedly based Perrette’s character on San Diego DJ Gabriel Wisdom, whom Crowe met and frequently interacted with while living in the city.
Like Perrette, a slew of famous Hollywood faces made electrifying appearances in the silver-screen knockout, which made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before landing in theaters on September 22, 2000, ultimately grossing just $47.4 million against a $60 million budget. Despite its lackluster commercial performance, Almost Famous garnered widespread appreciation from critics for its engrossing screenplay, immersive storytelling, and unforgettable characters, with Hudson and McDormand being singled out for their phenomenal portrayals.
Almost Famous was nominated for four Academy Awards, with Crowe ultimately taking home the statuette for Best Original Screenplay. The film also earned Hudson a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and also nabbed Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Moviegoers awarded the dramedy a stellar A− CinemaScore, and it currently holds a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score and 7.9 IMDb rating based on over 300,000 user reviews.
In the 25 years since its debut, Almost Famous has been celebrated as one of the greatest films of all time by countless outlets, including the BBC, The Hollywood Reporter, and Rolling Stone, and it helped make many of its decorated cast members, like Hudson, Crudup, and Deschanel, become bona fide movie stars while helping pave their respective careers. Famed critic Roger Ebert named the dramedy the best release of the year in his four-star review, writing:
“Oh, what a lovely film. I was almost hugging myself while I watched it. “Almost Famous” is funny and touching in so many different ways…It’s as if Huckleberry Finn came back to life in the 1970s, and instead of taking a raft down the Mississippi, got on the bus with the band.”
Where To Watch ‘Almost Famous’
Audiences hoping to travel back in time and immerse themselves in the rock-and-roll lifestyle can stream the beloved cult classic on Paramount+, or they can rent/buy Almost Famous on multiple platforms, including Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango. Now is the perfect time to check out the riveting dramedy in honor of its 25th anniversary, with many of Hollywood’s finest performers having made memorable appearances in the beloved flick.
