newcritics

Cameron Crowe turns 50 today. I think he’s generally underrated as an American filmmaker. He makes old-fashioned Hollywood movies with new-generation Hollywood stars, full of witty lines and endearing characters. Some complain about the dream-like quality of his women, but I see it as a gentle man’s nod to an earlier era. Some see the films as not gritty enough, but again, it strikes me as his attempt at recreating the magic of Hollywood’s classic fabulists. His heart and lack of cynicism is refreshing. He’s a romantic, and no apologies are necessary. He’s also one of the few filmmakers who understands how to write a literate script. And he loves Billy Wilder. Time for another Shamus list:

50 REASONS I LOVE CAMERON CROWE

50. Because he was an extra in Orson Welles’ unfinished “The Other Side of the Wind.” Really.
49. Because he was the kid wonder for “Rolling Stone” magazine. Go back and read those interviews with Frampton, Led Zep, the Allmans, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison. He also wrote the Fleetwood Mac cover story that accompanied the famous bed photo. The articles are still pretty good. Especially for a teenager.

48. Because he wrote “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” and created the greatest role Sean Penn has played or ever will play: Jeff Spicoli. “Aloha, Mr. Hand!”
47. Because he wrote that scene with Phoebe Cates, and you know what I mean.
46. Spicoli on U.S. history: “What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place ’cause it was bogus; so if we don’t get some cool rules ourselves - pronto - we’ll just be bogus too! Get it?”
45. The Spicoli philosophy of surfing, Part 1: “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.”
44. The Spicoli philosophy of surfing, Part 2: “Surfing is a way of life. It’s a way of facing that wave and saying, ‘Hey Bud, let’s party.’”
43. Because he gave us that marvelous couple, the uber-optimist Lloyd Dobler and the unattainable Diane Court (“She’s a brain. Trapped in the body of a game-show hostess.”)
42. Even though “Say Anything” is an awful title. What were you thinking of, Cameron? And where exactly do the ellipsis go?
41. It wasn’t all Dobler and Diane: Let’s not forget Lili Taylor’s 65 songs, all on one subject: Joe Lies!
40. The philosophy of Lloyd Dobler: “I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.”
39. When Diane breaks up with Lloyd: “She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.”
38. Lloyd’s sport: “Kickboxing. Sport of the future.”
37. The boombox. The rain.
36. The overcoat. The outstretched arms. The song:

35. For “Singles,” which gave us the great Seattle grunge band, Citizen Dick.
34. Backed by Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, and led by Matt Dillon in his most underrated role, the clueless Cliff Poncier.
33. Poncier’s signature song: ‘”Touch Me, I’m Dick.”
32. Cliff’s notes: “Well, I think ‘Touch Me, I’m Dick,’ in essence, speaks for itself, you know. I think a lot of people might think it’s actually about, you know, ‘My name is Dick, and, you know, you can touch me,’ but, I think, you know, it can be seen either way.”
31. Tim Burton’s cameo in “Singles.”
30. The way Crowe writes parts for women. Say anything you want, but he makes them glow. He loves women and he loves old-fashioned movie star glamour, and that comes through in the female parts, from Ione Skye to Renee Zellweger to Kate Hudson to Kirsten Dunst.
29. For “Jerry Maguire.”
28. “Show me the MONEY!!”
27. “You complete me.” “You had me at hello.”
26. And I’ve always loved Dicky Fox’s philosophy at the end of the film: “Hey… I don’t have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I have failed as much as I have succeeded. But I love my life. I love my wife. And I wish you my kind of success.” Amen.
25. The “You Had Me At Hello” line even spawned a country song sung by Kenny Chesney.
24. Who, ironically, ended up briefly hitched to Renee Zellweger.
23. Other than “Magnolia,” “Jerry Maguire” is Tom Cruise’s finest moment on screen: Modern, edgy, scared, believable, trying to find his place in the world. He showed us the money.
22. And it all led to Cuba Gooding’s exuberant moment on winning the Oscar. Sure, after that he went straight to “Boat Trip,” but for a moment he was the ambassador of Quan.
21. Crowe should have won the Oscar for this screenplay.
20. For giving all of us Boomer rock fans “Almost Famous.”

19. He did win the Oscar for this one.
18. And perhaps it’s justice that he won for his thinly veiled autobiography.
17. Billy Crudup’s sexy, charismatic performance as the talented frontman of Stillwater. “I am a golden god!”
16. Kate Hudson’s sexy, charismatic performance as groupie Penny Lane.
15. One of Frances McDormand’s finest performances. “Adolescence is a marketing tool.”
14. For Patrick Fugit’s debut as Crowe’s alter-ego William Miller.
13. For the great “Tiny Dancer” bus scene: It’s easy to forget how good Elton John was.
12. For the “Rolling Stone” office scenes: “A Mo-Jo, it’s a very high-tech machine that transmits pages over the telephone! It only takes eighteen minutes a page!”
11. For Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs, and his philosophy of the uncool and how to deal with rock stars: “My advice to you. I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest, and unmerciful.”
10. For the Stillwater T-shirts.
9. For Lester’s advice on the people who hate William in high school: “You’ll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle.”
8. For the scene where William’s older sister leaves him all the albums “that will set you free.” They set a lot of us free.
7. For “Vanilla Sk…” Well, OK, this wasn’t a great one, and certainly wasn’t better than the original. But Cruz is better here than she’s ever been in any other American film. And I like the scene where they recreate “The Freewheeling Bob Dylan” album cover.
6. For “Elizabethtown.” Yes! Crowe’s most terribly underrated movie. Dunst is adorable, Bloom is a bit of a mope (admittedly), but I absolutely love the Southern family scenes, Susan Sarandon’s tap dance, the burning free bird, and the evocative use of another Elton John song: “My Father’s Gun.” And especially the final road trip and mixtape scene. It’s a sequence only Cameron Crowe could make. A film that will outlast the initial critical scorn.
5. For Crowe’s director’s commentary on “Say Anything,” where he says he believes in “optimism as a radical philosophy.” I do, too, or at least I’d like to.
4. For interviewing Billy Wilder and giving us the excellent book, “Conversations With Wilder.”
3. For writing the liner notes for Bob Dylan’s “Biograph.”
2. And “Frampton Comes Alive.” And Zep’s “The Song Remains The Same.”

And No. 1…
1. For living out every schlubby writer’s dream: he married Nancy Wilson, the hot chick from Heart! Spicoli would pronounce it awesome!

Cameron Crowe is a golden god! Happy birthday, man!