Review of American Beauty (1999) by Granger S — 03 Aug 2014

When a plastic metaphor whirling in the wind is the most cited highlight of the movie as some sort of universal truth, coming from a character in the film you'd probably see wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a misattributed Vonnegut quote, and skinny jeans in real life, you have to wonder if its audience is praising the film for something it's not.

I'd probably really like American Beauty if it stuck to one side instead of having its message meander across the narrative like a disoriented octopus. Instead the film criticizes one lifestyle while also praising it.

It expects us to take seriously these hyper-exaggerated caricatures that seem more like the creations of someone whose only knowledge of satire comes from the dictionary. There's a father who hates homosexuals and collects Nazi paraphernalia which fits the exaggerated image of what a homophobe would look like.

This would be acceptable if that were the tone of the film, but the overall mood is a clash of serious and lighthearted mockery. Perhaps I am missing the point and simply don't get it. But then what is the point? And who does it appeal to? Certainly not me.