Rating: 
Summary: Look Closer: Hectoring, Moralizing, Stridency
Review: "American Beauty" opens and closes with Kevin Spacey's narration from the grave, an idea lifted from Billy Wilder's 1950 masterpiece "Sunset Boulevard." Similarities end there: The caustic and brilliant cynicism of Wilder and Charles Brackett's last screenplay together has been replaced by Alan Ball's *pose* of same. When it came out, there was a lot of talk about how "courageous" this movie's producers were. I saw no courage in it; merely a clichéd portrait of suburbia.Suburbia as a soul-draining no man's land is nothing new in Hollywood. "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit," (1955) explored similar themes, and Gregory Peck even shared the same (by now hackneyed) profession -- advertising man -- as Kevin Spacey's anti-hero, Lester. In the classic movie, Peck puts his job on the line to maintain his integrity, and wins. Spacey's "modernized" rat boosts his severance package by blackmailing his firm's "efficiency expert," and then uses the proceeds to forever chuck his responsibilities. Its premise, that Spacey has (unbeknownst to him) just a year to live shows him in the throes of a "mid-life crisis" in which we find him "living each day as if it were my last." So, does he go and write the great American novel? Does he reinvigorate his neglected family life? No; he quits his dead-end job to work at a fast food joint (obviously, a much more self-fulfilling career), exercises, buys a red Firebird and lusts after his teenage daughter's best friend. Whereas Wilder and Brackett conjured memorable flesh-and-blood characters from the printed page, "Beauty" scenarist Ball has a reverse-alchemy going on: Despite lots of gratuitous flesh, the characters come off as two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. There was a saying in the dramatic world, "the play's the thing." Now, "the agenda's the thing." All the characters in this movie aren't characters at all, but *representatives*, stand-ins for various social and political agendas. "American Beauty" is marketed with the slogan "Look Closer": "Look closer," you'll see that the gay couple across the street is just like you and me; the "macho," homophobic, Marine is really a repressed homosexual (who didn't see that coming a mile away?); the "weird" drug-dealing peeping-Tom is really a well of philosophical profundity, rivaling Gandhi in depth and Mother Teresa in altruistic impulse; the popular cheerleader is actually this shy, lonely virgin (yeah, right), and the chiseled-chin real estate guy is your typical Hollywood capitalist -- shallow, ruthless, a philanderer and (big surprise) a gun nut. No matter how much I "looked closer," I couldn't see any real people, or even ideal people that used to populate Hollywood fare. Instead, I kept seeing this PC playbook, written by some narcissistic baby-boomer who demands people view his movie with an open mind, but who himself sees life with blinders on. As character studies, Lester and his wife Carolyn (played by Annette Bening) ain't Joe Gillis and Norma Desmond. In "Sunset Boulevard," William Holden and Gloria Swanson weren't exactly people you'd want in your living room, but you'd certainly go to the Bijou to study them night after night. Their disturbing relationship was larger-than-life human nature at its darkest and most melodramatic. With "American Beauty," it's the people that have gotten small. Occasionally, I actually sympathize with Lester, especially when he's being sarcastic to his wife. But all-in-all, the characterizations are just laughable at best: The scene in which Annette Bening becomes a "gun-nut" and goes to the range to work out her frustrations, she manages to get tight shot groups despite her rising arms, due to her twisted, manic, facial expression and breathing while shooting. It's a scene that could only have been written by an anti-gun activist with an axe to grind. Real people at firing ranges know they can't shoot well unless they're calm and collected. But that would contradict the moviemakers' agenda. Likewise with the homosexual couple: They're merely props for Mendes and Balls politics; out of all the main characters in the movie, they have the least screen time (only about 2-3 minutes total), and are only in the script to represent "normality." With all the talk the PC crowd devotes to the "trivialization" of marginalized peoples, you'd think someone would've complained about how trivial these gay characters were; aside from idly chatting with neighbors, delivering flowers to new arrivals on the block and jogging, the viewer knows nothing about them. But, since Jim and Jim weren't written to be interesting beyond their function as poster children, Ball and Mendes didn't see the necessity. Ultimately, "look closer" is a great marketing tool, because upon looking closer, the viewer is left as bereft of any inspiration or entertainment as upon entering. That's how clever its producers are. This gimmick is a new spin on an old Grimm brothers fable, "The Emperor's New Clothes": If YOU can't understand it, then it MUST be deep; if you don't agree with Mendes and Ball's worldview, then YOU must be a social regressive; if you don't think suburban life is as bad as they paint it, then YOU'RE not looking "closely" enough, and; if upon looking closer, you find it shallow and vapid, then YOU lack depth. In reality, it's Ball and Mendes lack depth: You can't have you're cynical cake and eat your sugarcoated agenda, too. Proof lies in another movie from 1999, "Election," by writer/director Alexander Payne, which explored identical themes as "American Beauty." However, "Election" bristles with real cynicism, and Payne presents people like you've actually known in your lifetime, and actually gets to the heart of what motivates them in a panoply of human nature. Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon play *internally* motivated people, and thus came off as believable characters, complete in themselves; The cast of "American Beauty" were merely crude marionettes dancing on the strings manipulated by an all-thumbs screenwriter and director. The fact that "Election" was not even nominated for any Oscars shows that members of the Academy "looked closer," but obviously not at any other movies.
Rating:
Summary: Vicious, transparent pseudo-self indictment
Review: To begin with i had absolutely no expectations - or knowledge of this film prior to viewing it. At the end of my first viewing [in Australia] my favourite aspect of the movie was nothing to do with the screen, but the housewives and their childrens comments sitting behind me..."Well maybe that's what goes on in America". I have since seen the film again to silence my peer critics that insist that the film is brilliant...Maybe i was in a bad mood or something, only to find the second viewing more tedious and flawed. My problem with this film is somewhat by comparison but primarily by my unamusement. I am by no means religious or a "prude" or adversed to films with alternate messages. 1. What didnt impress me primarily about the film was its complete lack of subtlety. To compare it with another 'suburban indictment', "Happiness" from 1998 dealt with the catalystic themes of "AB" and far much more and through its impressive direction was able to retain an incredible amount of subtlety throughout, no matter how explicit the theme was. I also felt that use of nudity in the film was cheap, and completely avoidable...which in my opinion is probably the corporate influence ala the major theme of Godard's "Contempt". Perhaps this lack of subtlety can be traced directly to Sam Mendes, whose past productions have been theatrical performances and therefore overstated. 2. The acting was terrible, in fact i believe that only Annette Benning put in a worthy show. Spacey [a sometimes brilliant actor] mailed in another typical performance fusing both sarcastic and ironic charm [which can be directly found in Orson Welles' portrayal of Charles Foster Kane] but this time came out loser...and of course Thora Birch whose vacant prescence has led her to such 'classics' as "Dungeons and Drangons" and "Ghost World". 3. Predictability seems to be the operative term that buzzes around inside your head when viewing. The 'experienced' cheerleader, the angry militant father whose lifestyle cannot accomodate anything for his ailing son, until he reinterprets his machismo in order to in some way understand his offspring [you mean he kisses a man? wow, how brave]. The executive wife whose life is too busy for a husband. The two outcast socially inept characters who just happen to be boy/girl and become a couple...etc etc. [thumbs down] 4. The Hollywood Acceptance of this film as 'the indictment of american suburban social values' or something like that...oh no, we'd better accomodate this one and show some sort of conscious/conscience thinking...we are people too. In conslusion I do not see this film as the sign of the times. i find it petty, misguided, bleedingly obvious/predictable and generally a snoozefest. For all its glossy surface and attractive reputation, it amounts to nothing and only climbs the ladder that films like "Blue Velvet", "Welcome to the Dollhouse", "Happiness", "Rain" and "Bliss" have created. Don't believe the hype.
Rating:
Summary: Why Is It so GOOD??? I can't figure it out
Review: This movie is the worst movie ever. I can't believe how many people like it. One reason I don't like it is it is confusing and makes no sense at all. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Original, creative, and well done!
Review: This is the first movie that I ever bought, and I continue to watch it now and again. Kevin Spacey is simply amazing (deserving of his Oscar), and the story is unique and funny in its own twisted way. The cast works very well together, and you grow attached to the characters-however messed up they may seem. If you want to see a movie that's unprecedented in its subject matter, and a four star quality flick (according to me and Roger Ebert), American Beauty is the way to go.
Rating:
Summary: "It's just STUFF!!!
Review: "American Beauty" is incredible - a tragicomic look at suburbia, maintaining appearances, wasted life, beauty, ugliness, and a whole slew of other things. The scary thing is that it's only slightly exaggerated - I've SEEN some of these people, and the excellent acting merely serves to bring to light the personal foibles many of us ignore on a daily basis because we're so used to them. It leads the viewer to ask, "What does life mean to ME?", but doesn't provide the cookie-cutter answer some may seek. The disconcerting juxtaposition of things of things traditionally considered "beautiful" and "ugly", often in the same person, highlights the hazards of being quick to judge and categorize others. The beautiful woman stripping to red lingerie... to scrub and dust a house clean. The drug dealer... who is sensitive and finds beauty in everything. Possessions taking the place of passion. Appearances taking precedence over expression. As Lester states rather vehemently, "It's JUST STUFF!!!" I couldn't agree more. If you like to see the world as black-and-white, good-and-evil, and are willing to bend reality a bit to maintain the illusion, this movie will disturb you. However, I have yet to see a more moving case for being true to yourself and making the most of your time on this planet.
Rating:
Summary: Dysfunction At Its' Best.
Review: Kevin Spacey gives a wonderfully sympathetic peformance as struggling loser, Lester Burnham. The movie opens interestingly at the end, looking back on how things came to be. This is in a similar 20/20 hindsight fashion, as Al Pacino narrated in Brian DePalmas "Carlito's Way". Also similarly, the plot is not ruined by this odd chronology.Lester is an everyday average husband, much to his chagrined wife Carolyn, played by a disatisfied, shrill and "joyless" Annette Bening. Carolyn sells real estate, and wonders why her husband isn't more successful. The unhappy couple has one daughter named Jane, played by a beautifully sad and distant Thora Birch. From the outset, we can see the gap between parent and child, that cannot be bridged. ............... Poor Lester, nobody has an ounce of respect for him. The best part about it is, Spacey's Lester couldn't care less, and pulls no punches in making his attitude clear. Ipartiularly like when Lester accompanies Carolyn to a broker party, where she is desperate to make an impression, and Lester does his best to embarrass her with a big smoochy kiss and some off color remarks in front of the real estate "king" played by the eyebrow tweezer challenged Peter Gallagher. While Bening flirts shamelessly with he "King", Lester goes on to smoke a joint outside the party, meeting his neighbor Ricky, for the first time. Carolyn has to fetch a giggling, stoned Lester from the back alley. Even more disgusted with Lester, Carolyn becomes smitten with the real estate mogul, and begins a tawdry clandestine affair with him. In his hilarious egotism, he commands Carolyn to tell him "You're The King!!" as they consumate their affair. Then, the true comic payoff in the film comes, when the post-tryst giddy couple come to munch out on fast food at the drive through where Spacey is humiliatingly the oldest burger flipper. When he pops his face through the window for the order, it is a truly must see moment............... Newcomer Wes Bentley is eerily sedate as Ricky, the drug dealing neighbor, who is fascinated with Birch's Jane, and secretly video-tapes her. Jane thinks he's a weirdo, especially when disapproving Angela (Mena Suvari)deems him so. Ricky, seeing her as an obstacle to Jane, is successful at putting the beautiful cheerleader in her place by judging her to be "ordinary". After a while, Jane begins to sense a soulmate in Ricky, and he becomes her saviour. ................ Speaking of Mena Suvari, she is the "American Beauty" of the title. The moment Lester sees her, he becomes Luster. Angela becomes a rose petal covered visually stunning masturbatory fantasy for Lester, much to Carolyns disgust as she catches him next to her in bed. Lester has a new reason for existence, a chance to be with Angela. In his mid-life crisis, he starts to work out, smoke pot, and listen to loud rock music. She makes him feel young again. ............ There is the homophobic father of Ricky, who is an extremely strict, abusive and dangerous man. He forces his son to submit to urine drug tests, and beats Ricky nearly to death afer finding his Nazi paraphenalia disturbed in the family china cabinet. Ricky's seemingly catatonic schizophrenic mom, seems completely oblivious to everything. We are left to wonder if her husband is the cause of her quiet derangement. ................ This is a strange, comic tragedy that is difficult to sum up. This being the reason I covered the various elements that make up ths complex story instead. This film must be absorbed and pieced together by you as you watch, and watch it you SHOULD. "American Beauty" is a one of a kind original, with a theme that all of us can understand, and sometimes relate to, but wouldn't want to experience first hand.
Rating:
Summary: Dysfunctional Beauty...
Review: Kevin Spacey gives a wonderfully sympathetic performance as struggling loser, Lester Burnham. The movie opens interestingly at the end, looking back on how things came to be. This is in a similar 20/20 hindsight fashion, to the way Al Pacino narrates from the future in Brian DePalmas "Carlito's Way". Also similarly, the plot is not ruined by this odd chronology. .................. Lester is an everyday average, albeit underachieving husband, scorned and rediculed by wife Carolyn, played by a disatisfied, shrill and "joyless" Annette Bening. Carolyn sells real estate, and wonders why her husband isn't more successful. The unhappy couple has one unhappy daughter named Jane, played by a beautifully sullen and distant Thora Birch. From the outset, we can see the gap between parent and child, that cannot be bridged. ............... Poor Lester, nobody has an ounce of respect for him. The best part about it is, Spacey's Lester couldn't care less, and pulls no punches in making his attitude clear. He takes great pride in humiliating wife Carolyn at a real estate party where she is trying to impress a town real estate king, played by the eyebrow king himself, the tweezer challenged Peter Gallagher. Carolyn becomes smitten with the mogul and begins a clandestine and tawdry affair where she has to scream "You're The King", during each of their encounters. Truly a comic highpoint in the film. Also humorous is the spaced-out Spacey, smoking pot with his newly aquainted neighbor Ricky, oustide the party. Lester can't stop giggling, as Carolyn drags him from the back alley. ............... Speaking of which, newcomer Wes Bentley is eerily sedate as Ricky, the drug dealing neighbor, who is fascinated with Birch's Jane, and secretly video-tapes her. Jane thinks he's a weirdo, especially when disapproving Angela (Mena Suvari) deems him so. .................. There is Ricky's homophobe father, who is obsessive, abusive and dangerous. He forces his son to submit to urine drug tests, and beats Ricky nearly to death after finding his Nazi paraphenalia disturbed in the family china cabinet. Ricky's seemingly catatonic schizophrenic mom, is by contrast, completely oblivious to everything. We are left to wonder if her husband is the cause of her quiet derangement. ................ This is a strange, comic tragedy that is difficult to summarize. While many of the elements are familiar, they must be absorbed and pieced together by you as you watch, and watch it you SHOULD. "American Beauty" is a fascinating look at the collapse of a seemingly average family, with a theme that all of us can understand, and sometimes relate to, with a message that many of us could benefit from.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This movie is a must for all those who think they live a decent life. A life without fun, without fights, without love, without breaking rules, a life that consists of going to the church, hidding the frustations from others... Living without life at all. Surviving, not living.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of 90's cinema
Review: When 'American Beauty' was released it brought fresh life into Hollywood cinema (coupled with 'Fight Club' that same year, we were especially lucky). Directed by English theatre-director Sam Mendes and written with intense sensitivity by Alan Ball it is one of the great movies of the century. The story of a disfunctional family, each separated by their own wishes for fulfilment and by the people around them may sound dull but 'American Beauty' breathes a different kind of life into it. It centres around the dry Lester Burnham (Spacey), who narrates the story from beyond the grave. Stuck in a dead marriage to wife Caroline (Bening) and a boring job he witnesses an epiphany in the shape of Angela, the best friend of his daughter Jane. Thinking his years after high school to be a waste he starts getting himself in shape, smoking pot and even pursuing Angela. The amazing thing about this movie is that it doesn't merely focus on Spacey but on all the people around him, each with their own dreams, hopes and failures which Mendes treats with a care and sensitivity unusual to most films. For instance, Caroline may be pushy but she's cracking up inside, Jane has concerns about her body and even Angela is worried that she might not be perfect after all. Another interesting thing is that Spacey isn't the hero as you'd expect him to be. Sure we admire him, the guy that decides to take his life by the reigns, but we admire neighbour and Jane's boyfriend Ricky (Bentley) even more. This is because despite being trapped at home with an abusive father and a mother who is intriguingly unhinged he still feels gratitude for all the beauty that the world has to offer. If this sounds clichéd, cheesy or pretentious then you obviously haven't seen the film, which displays all this beauty before our eyes alongside all the misery and heartache. Add the this the implication that Bentley believes in a higher power guiding us may be as much due to his own wisdom as it is to his horrific home life and it becomes a statement of great weight. Of course, the intelligence of the movie is just one of the many things that make it. The cinematography constantly emphasises the 'life is beautiful' theme, with gorgeous red roses, blood and voluptuous lipstick all vying for your attention. In addition, it would be hard to find a collection of actors that are more accomplised in the role they play, all giving the performances of their respective careers. Spacey is even better than he was in 'The Usual Suspects', Bening shows a different side to the career woman of many movie stereotypes, Birch portrays the disappointment of early adulthood perfectly, Bentley is so astute it's almost disconcerting and Suvari is sublime as the Venus-image/frightened little girl. Add to the mix a dollop of brilliant humour and you have what is probably one of the most important movies of the 90's, quite possibly even the century.
Rating:
Summary: Terribly boring
Review: This movie is way to over rated and way to digusting:there's nothing enjoyable about an old man having sexual fantasies about his daughers best friend or about a gay neigbour abusing his son. This movie may have a good one had they altered the story line a bit and done some good directing and of course properly ended the movie. if your looking for drama filled with betrayal and evilness look no furhter to cruel intentions a movie that ended the right way.
|
