Review of American Beauty (1999) by Spangle — 12 Aug 2014
American Beauty may be a tad overhyped, but it is very good all the same. Kevin Spacey is fantastic as is the rest of the cast. Everybody really embodies their character thanks to great casting all around.
The direction from Sam Mendes is great and it is amazing to think that this was his debut. The script is very good. It is witty and dark at the same time. It is hard to place my finger on what the film is about.
It is not overly complex, but there are so many things that are going on, that you cannot really say what this one is about in a sentence without leaving out a ton of information. But, I will try. Ultimately, to me, American Beauty is about life and the facade's we all put up around our lives to project an image of what we want we to be, rather than what we truly are.
However, even in saying that, it leaves you a lot of the topics discussed, such as self-liberation, sexuality, and love. Yet, I think my simplistic sentence briefly covers all of those to some degree, as they all deal with pretending things are not what they are.
In addition, I really love the title. There are so many different meanings behind "American Beauty", whether it be the roses that are shown throughout the film, Mena Suvari's character, the beauty of the American Dream, or many other things.
The film is not overly complicated, but has so many different plausible interpretations that it a fun film to dissect. American Beauty is a truly great work that is fun to watch and fun to discuss thanks to great acting, direction, and writing.
This review of American Beauty (1999) was written by Spangle on 12 Aug 2014.
American Beauty has generally received very positive reviews.
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