American Beauty
Ever look at someone and think to yourself what makes them tick, how are
they really when they go inside of the confines of their home? Are they
really that nice, or are they really a closed-minded jerk or someone whose
crying out for help? I'm seriously asking because in the movie American
Beauty if you think you want to be like them or have the luxury they have,
then think again, because looks can be deceiving.
Director Sam Mendes's dreamy Oscar-winning film not only delivers intoxicating performances including Best Actor winner, Kevin Spacey, but outrageous humor and deep, painful insecurities eating away at a family. The loss of a suburban family failing in so many ways is what made American Beauty a movie that speaks of originality, daringness and intelligence.
Lester (Kevin Spacey), a man whose life is practically nothing in his eyes
including his marriage to his wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), a woman he once
felt great love for, is nothing more than a body, a stranger, to share a
house with. His only daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), who's become alarmingly
more disconnected from him on a daily basis, keeps company with a
mysterious and troubled new neighbor and peeping tom named Ricky (Wes
Bentley) whose father, a colonel (Chris Cooper), and mother, Barbara (Allison
Janney), have their own dark secrets consuming them.
Lester, after attending a school event with Carolyn, where Jane is a
cheerleader, becomes obsessed with a beautiful girl named Angela (Mena
Suvari) who is Jane's friend. Looking at her, lusting after her, and fantasizing
about her makes Lester want to better his life. In his eyes, he sees Angela
as his muse, a girl who has so much, but who really is struggling just like
everyone else around her.
Feeling the desperate need to be successful in her field, as a real estate
agent, is the only thing that matters to Carolyn. She begins a torrid affair
with Buddy (Peter Gallagher), a man whom, in her eyes, posses what a
successful career is all about and who dominates the real estate market
that she wants to succeed in as well.
Exceptional, thought provoking and deeply moving. A visual puzzle of
beautiful and terribly tragic emotions that surround all the madness with
smartness, freshness and sharp-tongued humor, all leading up to the moment
that will leave you stunned, sad, and with a heavy heart. Everyone lost
something from that tragic night where things were just starting to come
into the light and perhaps some hope, as well, for one of them.
Written by: Lynda Dale MacLean
Reviewers Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 7.33
Reader's Votes: 15
Added: 22-Jan-2004
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