Following the smash-hit/Oscar darling Jerry Maguire (1996), writer-director Cameron Crowe was at the top of the industry. Uniquely granted the green light to pursue just about any project he would like to, Crowe decided to go the coming-of-age, ultra-personal route before teaming up with Tom Cruise yet again.
Shot in consecutive years by an auteur with a specific creative vision, Almost Famous (2000) and Vanilla Sky (2001) were bound to share more than one element in common. Allow the following 10 examples to offer proof-positive evidence that they are even more interconnected than fans may have realized. Honorable mention paid to some clear casting crossovers.
To Kill A Mockingbird References
During the "Young William" Almost Famous prologue, Crowe penned a tribute to one of his most beloved literary influences, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.
Elaine Miller (Frances McDormand) quizzing her son on Atticus Finch's heroic chops is a reference only outdone by Vanilla Sky - with the Gregory Peck-led film adaptation tied to each David/Dr. McCabe scene like a bow as it plays in the background by what's later described as subconscious design.
The Lonely Protagonist Who Goes For A Panic-Filled New York City Run
Both films place their leads on a lonely sprint-filled journey throughout a typically mass-populated New York area.
Granted, William's quest to follow Penny Lane back to her hotel takes place on roads with at least some activity, whereas David's iconic dream sequence reveals an empty Time Square.
Almost Famous Oscar Nominee Kate Hudson Was Also Offered The Female Co-Lead In Vanilla Sky
Kate Hudson turned down the chance to repeat the role of the blonde leading lady in a Crowe film for the second consecutive year.
Julie Gianni, the role offered to Hudson, was ultimately played by Cameron Diaz - and earned her the Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Leads Who've Been Lied To About Their Real Age
"Young William" famously confronted the reality that he is two years younger than the rest of his classmates in one of Almost Famous' opening scenes.
Conversely, if Tech Support Edmund Ventura (Noah Taylor) is to be believed in Vanilla Sky's grand finale, the eternally 33-year-old (in physical appearance) David would - within the context of the supposed year, 2151 - actually be 183-years-old.
Vanilla Sky's Tom Cruise Read The Lines Of Lester Bangs For Cameron Crowe While He Ironed Out The Almost Famous Script
Tom Cruise sounding out Phillip Seymour Hoffman's would-be-lines so they would be just right for his Magnolia co-star by the time of production was quite the sight, as Crowe recounted.
Crowe's foremost collaborator at the time was never truly up for the role in the film that he consciously wanted to be more about the band before it became about any single mega-movie star attached. One wonders what Brad Pitt as Russell Hammond could have done for the film at the box-office.
Both Predicted The Future - Albeit In Different Ways
Drawing from his breakout impression-based Saturday Night Live skits as The Rolling Stones frontman's mirror counterpart, Jimmy Fallon's brief role as the band's manager in Almost Famous called for him to move like Jagger. Humorously so, as it was while intentionally missing the mark in predicting Jagger could not command a stage with the same vigor years down the line.
Vanilla Sky also proudly got out ahead of what would become later developments. Innovation, thy name is the John Coltrane Hologram.
Characters Who Overcome A Fear Of Heights & A God Complex By Jumping Off Of Buildings
"Charming-but-arrogant" describes both Stillwater lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Almost Famous) and rich publishing magnate David Aames (Vanilla Sky) to a tee. Making it quite kinetic that both, at their most vulnerable, would liken themselves to God before jumping off a rooftop into a pool while on acid (with David's singing "What if God Was One of Us?" while being wheeled into facial reconstructive surgery).
The latter would also come to jump off a building upon recognizing he has transcended standard definitions of life and death.
Each Movie Has More Beatles References Than You Think
Almost Famous' Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) cited the Beatles when pondering the magnitude of Stillwater gracing the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, just like The Fab Four before them. The reference runs deeper though, as both bands feature two contentious, but once-thick-as-thieves co-frontmen, the definitive third man with underused singing chops, and a fourth-in-the-pecking order drummer whose voice is the least known in the pack.
There's also the "Your favorite Beatle was once John, but now it is Paul" quote delivered in Vanilla Sky and the film opens on The Dakota - John Lennon's former home - and closes with "Vanilla Sky" - sung by Paul McCartney.
Allusions To Elvis' "I Feel Lonely In A Crowded Room" Remarks
Crowe often cites Elvis' oft-regurgitated quotes and lyrics about feeling lonely in a crowded room as an influence on his work, so it is no surprise that some of his more noted characters would incorporate versions of the quote into their vernacular.
Russell speaks of being in a crowded room before admitting to being alone while on the phone with Penny Lane in Almost Famous. So does David Aames, someone whose subconscious is rife with figures from his real-life, while he is technically suspended in a party-for-one cryogenically frozen chamber.
Stillwater - The Band Prominently Featured In Almost Famous Appears In Both Movies
In Vanilla Sky's famous "flash before your eyes" montage that plays as David Aames plummets to his fate (whatever that may be), Crowe placed in photos from his real life and his feature films, including, but not limited to a photo of William and Penny Lane laying down on a couch in a deleted Almost Famous scene and Stillwater shredding it on stage.
Was David a fan of Stillwater and rock journalist William Miller growing up? It would make a lot more sense than Vanilla Sky does, at times.