Review of American Beauty (1999) by Joshua B — 19 Oct 2012

Every once in a long while comes a movie that is quiet simply a masterpiece, no matter which angle you choose to look at it from. And American Beauty is definitely in that category. There is not a single area involved in its making that was not flawlessly executed, resulting in a powerfully uplifting cinematic experience that nevertheless manages to avoid cheap sentimentality at every turn of the plot.

Script: In my opinion, Alan Ball's script could be a template for aspiring screenwriters everywhere. It's a meticulously thought out and constructed affair that's filled to the brim with several hilariously quotable lines, as well as some achingly real moments of character reveals. I'm pretty sure this was Ball's first feature film script but, no matter where this falls on his resume, it's nevertheless a stunning achievement.

Acting: This was another area where this movie really excelled,with superb performances being given across the board.Kevin Spacey's plays Lester Burnham, a disillusioned, burnt out suburbanite who is slowly suffocating under the strain of a distant, materialistic wife Carolyn, played by Annette Bening, and a hostile teenage daughter Jane played by Thora Birch.One night he goes to see his daughter's pep rally routine and immediately falls under the spell of one of her fellow cheerleaders Angela, played by Mena Suvari, which instills in him a newfound sense of liberation that leads him to revolt against his stifling existence. Meanwhile Jane finds herself being steadily drawn towards Ricky Fitts, the newly arrived next door neighbor played by Wes Bentley who has the unsettling habit of silently videotaping everything he comes across. And rounding out the performances is Chris Cooper as Ricky's dad, Colonel Fitts, a character with a dark secret who sets the final act into motion. The wonderful thing about the performances is that they are perfectly calibrated all the way across the boards, with Spacey's initial sad sack loser, as well as his later portrayal of reborn, steely resolve, is honestly portrayed, resulting in a performance more than worthy of the Best Actor Oscar bestowed upon it. At times Bening's performance comes close to lapsing into caricature, but those times are few and far between and are redeemed by more than one moment of heartbreaking vulnerability.The same thing can be said of Suvari's portrayal of Angela, which borders on being a one-note cliche of whoredom until a third act reveal brings her story arc into full focus.Birch's portrayal of Jane is a sympathetically acted portrait of angst and misery that makes her moments of happiness all the more poignant and touching. Bentley's performance as Ricky went beyond what initially appeared to be a limiting eccentric weirdo role to become the movie's emotional center and the ( quiet effective ) mouthpiece of many of the movie's themes. And finally there's Cooper's performance as Colonel Fitts. The character goes through a late act reveal that would seem jarringly out of place if the role had been played any less consistently intense than what was managed to be pulled off.

Direction:I'm not a patron of the theater, so I'm not familiar with director Sam Mendes' work in that area. However, I do know that his work directing plays has brought him years of critical and commercial acclaim and, after seeing American Beauty, it's really easy to believe that. He brings a boldness to the visuals that manages to be striking while at the same time serving the story instead of taking away from it. Although I've enjoyed every Mendes directed movie I've seen, he hasn't come close to touching his feature film debut, in my opinion.

Conclusion: If you consider yourself to be any kind of a movie buff and have not seen this move yet,do what you have to in order to make it happen!Buy it, borrow it, or rent it. JUST SEE IT! You'll be so caught up the movie will be over before you know it. This is truly one of cinema's all time greats!