Review of American Beauty (1999) by Aaron S — 17 Mar 2013
A stunning modern masterpiece. The characters are all intriguing and sympathetic. The performances are amazing. The writing is to notch. The music is amazing. Why did it take me so long to watch this film.
The film starts off well, with very strong, cutting humor. From the off Lester is self deprecating. Spacey's performance grabs you from the start and won't let go.
The film builds through the middle, the characters all getting well fleshed out. All of the characters become more relatable and sympathetic as we learn about them. The film never lags but gets more interesting.
As the end draws closer tension mounts, and becomes almost unbearable. It is near the end where Chris Cooper's colonel gets a few moments to shine, and become more understandable to the viewer. His character, played by any other actor would have been totally repulsive, but in Cooper's hands, we see a man who defies the disgusting statements he makes and actions he takes with a glimmer of good behind the eyes.
I will not ruin the ending so I'll skip past it completely. In reflection, Lester is a man who, up until lately is impossible not to relate with. He is a bit of a sleaze from the off, and a little scary at times, but even at his darkest he is never a bad man. Again, by the end, he is shown to be a very good man, and that makes the ending sadder.
I loved this movie, and I hate that I put it off for so long.
This review of American Beauty (1999) was written by Aaron S on 17 Mar 2013.
American Beauty has generally received very positive reviews.
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