Crowe's Mom Is 'Almost Famous'

Mother Of Cameron Was A Groupie -- But Just Once!

It's not unusual for an actor or filmmaker to acquire fame after a period of time, especially after winning an Academy Award.

But thanks to a stunning portrayal by Frances McDormand and brilliant writing and direction by her son Cameron, Alice Crowe is truly the one who became "Almost Famous" after the release of the film.

Alice appears side-by-side with her son on the audio commentary track of "Untitled: The Bootleg Cut," Cameron's director's cut of the film "Almost Famous," new on DVD. During the film's "Bootleg" version, extended by 35 minutes, it's joyful to hear the two reminisce about their lives while watching the film -- an autobiographical account of Cameron's foray into the big-time world of rock journalism with Rolling Stone magazine at the age of 15.

In fact, the story was all too real for Alice to watch when the film initially debuted in theaters.

"It was real scary to sit there and hear your words come out in the theater," Alice told me, laughing, during a recent @ The Movies interview. "Be very careful what you say to your children -- they listen. They record it and become filmmakers. Be careful. It might come back to you."

In the film, William Miller (Patrick Fugit) plays the equivalent of the young Cameron, an "uncool" high schooler who has an obvious talent for music journalism. Mentored by Creem magazine publisher Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Miller soon gets an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to write about the rising band, Stillwater.

But instead of listening to Bangs' advice about writing ("don't make friends - be honest and unmerciful"), Miller is tempted by the freewheeling lifestyle of musicians on the road. McDormand plays his over-protective mother, who's constantly worried about what sort of decadence her son may be exposed to. Alice believes McDormand not only played her brilliantly, she channeled her.

"It's hard to see how others perceive you, so I asked my friends, 'Is that the way I am?' and they said, 'She nailed you,'" Alice recalled. "I think I'm a little funnier than I was portrayed, but that wasn't Frances' fault. Cameron didn't write in the jokes that we had together. We have an identical sense of humor - but I guess it just wasn't timed to express that in the script."

Of course, some of McDormand's dialogue in the movie came off as funny, even though she was delivering it straight -- specifically, the phrase, "Don't take drugs!"

"I still say it - it's the plague of our times. But I mellowed after awhile," Alice said, laughing. "I like Janis Joplin now. I'm a little late to the party."

While she's been by Cameron's side for the duration of his career as a journalist and filmmaker (she was at the Academy Awards with him last year when he won the best original screenplay Oscar for "Almost Famous"), Alice said she's always stayed away from the glitz and glamour of the industry.

However, she does admit to being a "groupie," just once at one of Cameron's book release parties -- but still a far cry from Kate Hudson's Penny Lane character in "Untitled/Almost Famous." The encounter appropriately was with a Rolling Stone - and that's not one of the writers from the magazine.

"I've never asked to have my picture taken with anybody -- not rock stars, not movie stars, nobody," said Alice.

That is, until the party guest "started her up."

"I like Mick Jagger, so I went up to him and said, 'Hi, I'm Cameron's mom - can I have my picture taken with you?' I was shameless," Alice roared, laughing. "He said (mimicking Jagger's accent), 'Certainly, darling', and he put his arm around me and hugged me.' Then I became a fan, a shameless fan. I became a groupie!"

One photo is quite impressive, considering Cameron's body of work. She's a frequent visitor to the set of his films, most recently, "Vanilla Sky," which stars Tom Cruise (whom Cameron also directed in "Jerry Maguire).

Getting Personal

There's no question that Alice and Cameron's commentary on the "Untitled/Almost Famous" is the one of DVD's best features. Essentially, it makes you look at the movie from an entirely different perspective: Instead of it being just another film experience, you suddenly realize that you're watching the film through the eyes of a strong parental bond between mother and child. It's incredibly easy to relate to, well, because, it's real.

"It took 10 years for this film to come into being, because it was so personal," Alice recalled. "He'd write a version, then put it away. Then he'd write another version and say to me, 'Mom, this is self-glorification -- I can't write it, it's just too personal. But his wife (Heart co-founder Nancy Wilson) and I just kept at him and said, 'Cameron, there aren't films being made like this at all. People just make action films with special effects. If anything, make a small movie for family archives and it will be your memory book."

As a teacher both in the film and in real life, Alice is happy to know that "Untitled/Almost Famous" is not only entertaining, it's educational. She hopes that the film will continue to inspire in the same way it has touched this writer.

"Growing up is a very important mission in our lives, and I know this sounds preachy, but I've always told Cameron that there are two types of people: Those who diminish humanity, and those who enhance it," Alice said. "You have to make up the your mind what path you are going to take, and I hope and pray that you enhance humanity, because that's our job."

Alice hopes that ultimately, we all hand down that ability to enhance humanity to our children, and she's proud of the way her son has expressed that mission in his films.

"His films are about redemption, and triumph over adversity," Alice said. "Life is tough, but you just can't give up hope."

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