American Beauty begins and ends with aerial shots of the suburban neighborhood (Anytown, U.S.A) where the Burnhams make their (broken) home. The point is to emphasize just how ordinary life here is - tree-lined streets and houses with white picket fences tiled over and over again as far as the camera can see. We are introduced to seemingly normal cast of characters, and as the film probes deeper into their lives, we see that none of them are ordinary, and that is where they beauty lies. To paraphrase the film, "there's nothing worse than being ordinary." The film follows Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey, in a spectacular and richly shaded performance) as his intense desire for a forbidden girl (a friend of his daughter) becomes catalyst for all that is not ordinary in him to surface, causing a ripple effect that forces his wife and daughter and ultimately the object of his desire to reevaluate their role in this "ordinary" suburbia.
This film links first-time film director Sam Mendes (a theater director, who directed the award-winning revival of "Cabaret") with a stellar cast. The very experienced and capable cinematographer Conrad Hall helps the film enormously as well. This is the first film for screenwriter Alan Ball, who has also written for theater. The theater works shows - the characters are very well developed (the actors were involved in creating extensive backstories for their characters), the ensemble cast works wonderfully.
One of the signs of a well-made film is that it twists you around in your seat - when the experience of watching the film can hold all of your attention and evoke a breadth of emotional responses. American Beauty is a well-made film. There are a number of interactions between the characters that are uncomfortable to watch - I found myself squirming in my seat, without meaning to, because I felt uncomfortable about what was happening onscreen. The key word is "felt" however - because this film is able to pull some real responses from the viewer, and these responses are stronger than in most movies. Because of this, the moments of laughter (of which there are an abundance in this comedy) are much funnier, and the moments of sheer cinematic bliss (the dancing bag comes to mind) are all the more absorbing.
One of main interests of the film is examining where people find beauty in their lives, in the unexpected and yet mundane. When Ricky, fascinated with capturing all he sees on video, to help remind him of it, is seen filming a dead bird at school, he is asked why. "Because it's beautiful" he responds. It's ordinary, and yet unexpected, and in its own way it is full of beauty. American Beauty itself is just this - unexpected and beautiful in its own way. It's an extremely original film, and the points where it hits emotionally are not the same type of dramatic scenes that haunt most serious movies these days - overwrought, music climaxing, tearful close-ups, predictable. The emotional scenes in American Beauty are where you least expect it - a nervous laugh from the audience might precede it, and then suddenly it unfolds and you realize that it is beautiful and real.
This is a film that stays with the viewer long after he or she leaves the theater. I found that I didn't want this film to end - I had become engrossed in the characters, I had become riveted. I emailed a friend in New York the night I saw the film, and heard back that he too had seen American Beauty and didn't want it to end. American Beauty is anything but ordinary.
A middle-aged man confronts the reality of his suburban life. His marriage is in shambles. His daughter doesn't acknowledge his existence. But a chanc...More at HotMovieSale.com
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