Easy to watch but definitely heavy on the sentimentality

Rating: 6/10 (29 April 2005)

Tom Hanks directed this film and that was probably the only reason I felt any urge to see it when it was released in 1996. To this day I don't believe Tom Hanks is the next Martin Scorsese, but to be fair he does an apt job here and his cheesy, breezy vibe that he lends to the film suits it very well.
Essentially a story about a small-town Pennsylvanian band in 1964 who hit it big after one of the members is replaced, and their manager turns out to be Tom Hanks (gasp!).
"Almost Famous" is a far superior examination of a rock band's ups and downs but this is alright as far as Friday night entertainment goes.
This movie is not the best but it is easy to watch and will deliver exactly what the people who watch it expect: a few laughs, a few smiles, some likable characters and a happy ending.