Some times it’s a great idea to put your story’s characters together in a situation that ‘rattles their cages’ — and that’s certainly what happens in this great scene from Almost Famous (2000), written and directed by Cameron Crowe. The movie’s premise per IMDB:

William Miller is a 15 year old kid, hired by Rolling Stone magazine to tour with, and write about Stillwater, an up and coming rock band.

In this scene, Miller (Patrick Fugit) accompanies Stillwater on an airplane to the band’s next gig. Other key players in the scene are the two leaders of the band Russel Hammond (Billy Crudup) and Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee). Tension between the two about the band’s direction and their own personal lives has been simmering for a while and what transpires in this scene raises the stakes:

147 INT. BAND PLANE — DAY 147

Russell and William are in mid-interview. The kid’s microphone

is out. It’s a little bit of a rough flight. William wears

the same clothes.

RUSSELL

Why didn’t you come back to the party?

Bob Dylan showed up. He was sitting

at our table for… had to be an hour,

right? Just Rapping. Bob Dylan! I

kept looking for you. I was going to

introduce you.

The kid feels pain.

JEFF

What happened to you last night?

WILLIAM

It’s a log story.

A sharp jolt of turbulence. Russell begins pounding on the

card table in rhythm.

RUSSELL

(singing Buddy Holly)

“Peggy Sure… Peggy Sue… “

DICK

Please.

RUSSELL

“Pretty pretty pretty pretty Peggy

Sue… “

A moment of laughter, and then bam. Jeff’s drink rises and

suspends briefly in mid-air. The plane takes another mighty

knock.

JEFF

We shouldn’t be here.

RUSSELL

Doris, we miss you!

Fear is creeping in around the edges. William, already an

uneasy flier, looks down.

PILOT’S VOICE

This is Craig, your pilot. It appears

we’ve caught the edge of that electrical

storm we were trying to outrun. Buckle

up tight now. We’re gonna do our best

to getcha out of this.

The rocking of the plane worsens, as all buckle up.

JEFF

“Electrical storm?”

RUSSELL

(strapping in for a roller

coaster)

Rock and roll.

The sky darkens abruptly. William looks up, increasingly

nervous, stares straight ahead. The plane suddenly drops and

stabilizes. Everyone is silent but Russell.

RUSSELL (cont’d)

Wooooooo Baby!

A moment later, an ashen-faced CO-PILOT emerges, balancing

himself with hands on the ceiling of the shuddering plane.

CO-PILOT

We’re gonna try to land in Tupelo.

We’re going to have to cut the inside

lighting for the next several minutes.

We found a field to land in.

The kid notices Silent Ed is rubbing a small crucifix.

DENNIS HOPE

A field?

JEFF

I can’t breathe.

Push in on Russell. We hear a series of unfamiliar electrical

sounds. The plane screwballs through the sky.

CO-PILOT

It might be a rough set-down. We should

be fine.

(cracking at the edges)

But what we do say in a situation like

this is — We would pass but before the

plane … disassembled. However, God

help us, if there’s anything you want

to say to each other, any secrets,

anything like that, now would be a

good time. But just hang in there.

We’ll get you out of this.

He returns to the cockpit. The weather worsens, as the hail

suddenly pelts the plane, and it comes down hard. Inside lights

shut off. William stares straight ahead, as the cockpit door

swings open — total chaos visible inside — and then shuts again.

DICK

And everyone thinks it’s so glamorous

out here.

LARRY

(oddly detached)

He just told us we’re gonna die.

JEFF

(insecurities running wild)

We’re gonna crash in Elvis’ hometown —

RUSSELL

Shut up.

JEFF

— we can’t even die in an original

city!

RUSSELL

C’mon Dennis, get us a better city.

Nervous laughter. Another sheet of hail hits the plane.

LESLIE

Oh my God.

PUSH IN ON WILLIAM

Just shaking. Nearly in tears. Hyperventilating.

RUSSELL

If something should happen. I love

all of you. I don’t think we have to

do the secrets thing.

The plane shakes. Now lightening strikes very close. A

flashing wall of electricity rolls through the plane and

evaporates with a burning smell still in the air. In the

darkness:

DENNIS HOPE

I once hit a man in Dearborn, Michigan.

A hit-and-run. I hit him and kept on

going. I don’t know if he’s alive or

dead, but I’m sorry.

LESLIE

(gripped with fear)

Oh my God.

The plane wildly rises, and falls. It stops for a moment. A

strange smooth patch.

DICK

I love you all too, and you’re my

family. Especially since Marna left

me. But if I ever took an extra dollar

or two, here and there, it was because

I knew I’d earned it.

RUSSELL

I slept with Marna, Dick.

JEFF

I did too.

LARRY

I waited until you broke up with her.

But me too.

JEFF

I also slept with Leslie, when you

were fighting.

RUSSELL

You… slept with Jeff?

LESLIE

Yes, but it didn’t count. It was the

summer we decided to be free of all

rules.

RUSSELL

(to Jeff)

And you say you “love me.”

JEFF

(the truth)

I don’t love you, man. I never did.

RUSSELL

Please. Enough.

JEFF

NONE of us love you. You act above

us. You ALWAYS HAVE!!

LARRY

Finally. The truth.

JEFF

You just held it over us, like you

light leave… like we’re lucky to be

with you. And we had to live with it.

I had to live with you, and now I might

die with you and it’s not fucking fair.

William watches, catatonic.

RUSSELL

(to Larry and Ed)

You hate me? You too?

Larry stares at him. Ed says nothing.

RUSSELL (cont’d)

All this love. All this loyalty.

(incredulous, giddy)

And you don’t even like me.

JEFF

And I’m still in love with you Leslie.

Bam. The plane is pulling sideways, and dropping altitude.

LESLIE

I don’t want to hear anymore. Shut

up! Shut up! Shut up!

RUSSELL

(to Jeff)

Whatever happens, you’re dead.

JEFF

Don’t be self-righteous, Russell, not

now. You were sleeping with Penny,

that groupie. Last summer, and up

until yesterday. Why don’t you tell

Leslie THAT?

Russell tries to get up and attack him. The force keeps him

in his seat. He yells. Loud.

DENNIS

(freaking out)

I quit.

The turbulence worsens. William finds his mouth saying

emotional words he cannot control.

WILLIAM

“That groupie?” She was a Band-Aid.

All she did was love your band. And

you all — you used her, all of you.

You used her and threw her away. She

almost died last night, while you were

with Bob Dylan. You’re always talking

about the fans, the fans, the fans.

She was your biggest fan and you threw

her away. And if you can’t see that,

that’s your biggest problem.

Russell and Jeff stare at each other. The plane is rocking

very very hard. Leslie is crying.

ED

I’m gay.

They all turn to the silent drummer. (It’s his first spoken

dialogue of the movie.)

Then.

The plane pops out from below the clouds. Sunshine spikes

through the embattled windows of the plane, as they float

downwards to the city of Tupelo, Mississippi. A very very

uneasy silence fills the plane. No one can look at each other.

Out bursts the Co-Pilot, giddy with victory.

CO-PILOT

Thank God above, WE’RE ALIVE!! WE’RE

ALIVE!! WE’RE GONNA MAKE IT!!

Shot of all the occupants, ending with Russell. Suddenly, the

alternative seems far more attractive. We hear Rod Stewart’s

“Jo’s Lament” as music plays over their still-shocked faces.

148 INT. TUPELO AIRPORT CORRIDOR — DAY 148

Music continues, as they walk together like ghosts in a long

and very pregnant silence, ignoring the kid. Everything is

different now. The kid peels off and throws up in a dumpster.

We continue with the band, unhappily moving forward. William

hustles back to catch up. They ignore him. There are much

bigger thoughts in play. No one wants to speak.

JEFF

Well, I think we can build on this new

honesty.

Boom. Russell attacks him, and they’re pulled apart. The

band continues moving forward, arriving at a fork in the airport

terminals. William stops. This is where he must part company.

He stands at the mouth of the next terminal, as the band

continues, unaware he’s split off. He watches their backs,

they’ve forgotten him.

Then Russell turns, sensing something missing. William. All

now stop and turn. Still shell-shocked, they summon a pre-

occupied but heartfelt goodbye. William waves. Music

continues.