The final drum solo was waaaayyyyy too long.

This was not a drum solo to entertain us like in a concert. It was the sum of the film. The whole film was about these two men. Not a solo. The length of it was vital because 1) Andrew was not going to let Fletcher beat him again 2) Andrew was not going to give up on himself like he did before 3) Andrew DID excellent in 2nd piece and to say fu to Fletcher, he started solo cuz he KNEW he was more than BACK! He fulfilled his potential. 4) To build up the suspense...it started out normal, then film went in slo-mo showing Andrew's exhausted face, blood on his hands and it felt like he was going to burn out and crash. Film came out of slo-mo and we find Andrew is still doing great. 5) Fletcher sees the genius that Andrew is realizing for first time. Fletcher approaches and they.are.in.sync! and trusting each other. Nothing else in the past mattered. It was only about the great solo in the here and now!

You can't sum up the entire film with a 15 second drum solo!! You missed entire meaning of film by making comment like that.

Nope. The ending was masterful. Super tense. Super satisfying.

Ha! I think that's a great conversation.

For my own tastes, I felt it was much too long. I think the exact same point could've have made with half the length. I suppose the artistic attempt here was precisely to wear the audience down, to immerse them in the musicality and its relation to the blood, sweat & tears, so to speak. It's also a big payoff. I get all that. I just don't think it was necessary to the point, and is an awful lot to ask of an audience.

A film is rarely about its milieu. For instance, "The Hustler" is not about billiards, any more than "Rocky" is about boxing. That's why I believe that any good sports film shouldn't require its audience to possess any prior knowledge or love for that sport. The drum solo in this film (which I thought was a good film, btw) teeters that line, imo.

Cameron Crowe had toyed with the idea of including a scene in "Almost Famous" featuring the main character playing the entirety of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", a ten minute song, for his family. The scene is on one of the DVD releases, actually. The character is attempting to show his dismissive family how great rock music really could be. While it was an interesting experiment, I'm very thankful Crowe chose to not include it. The scene would have hindered the film's focus on characters by sidetracking itself - in a rather preachy manner - with the task of convincing the audience of something completely unnecessary and outside of the emotion of the actual story. All we need to understand is that this kid is passionate about music. That is the catalyst to his adventure. The audience shouldn't have to share those exact beliefs or skills in order to feel for him, nor should the director feel the need to try to force us. If he wants to focus on the virtues of appreciating Led Zeppelin, then make the movie about Led Zeppelin.

I think gaelichero may be joking here :) Anyone complaining about the drum solo being "too long" is missing the point entirely. It is not there for our musical appreciation, it is part of the story; the gradual transformation in their relationship, shown by their interaction while the solo is going on.

Here's the solo again https://youtu.be/0IzlhHz6UKg

Very impressive, but did it get a bit tedious and self-indulgent? At the 1 minute mark he goes all spastic and sweaty, ok that's maybe appropriately tense. Then about halfway through there's the forced slowdown tappy-tappy interlude which arguably seems awkward in front of a packed audience, more like a "show me your rudiments" private audition than a public performance. What's the crowd thinking at this point? I agree it's a great climactic scene, but somehow also imagined the song would reach it's crescendo then Fletcher turning around to see mostly empty seats. That spontaneous display of talent was for him, not the audience.

Wow. Just wow.
Step away from the AM radio and try leaning something about music before you spout off about something you have no clue about.

I guess if you're not into drumming and drum solos, unlike me, who thought it was amazing. Though I think most people like it, regardless. It's a perfect dialogue between Andrew and Fletcher.

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Before you jump on me, know this: I rarely think things through before posting.

I agree, the final drum solo was far too long. About 3.5 seconds would have been better. And it didn't have enough Kanye West in it either.
Ooh look, there's a squirrel.