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American Beauty (The Awards Edition) Customer Reviews (25 - 27 of 109 Reviews)

"You have no idea what I'm talking about I'm sure, but don't worry, you will someday"
"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation". This famous Henry David Thoreau quote is often cited but nowhere is it more apt than in the life of Lester Burnham. The life of dreary feigned cheerfulness that he lives in suburban America bores him to tears, but that is all blown out of his mind by the arrival of the young pretty nymphet Angela Hayes.

With clear parallels to Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita' this movie is as much a feast for the mind as it is a cinematographic feast for the eye. The red rose petals bursting forth so often being a striking representation of the rebirth of Lester's life after so many years in monotonous solitude and also of the budding beauty of youth that Angela makes her own.

What makes 'American Beauty' so encapsulating is the anger that is always on the verge of bursting out of the characters. Lester is stepped on and belittled by his family which fuels a fury that is boiling beneath his calm exterior. Angela is a release for Lester, both from the mind numbing boredom he suffers, and the sexual frustration that his wife forces on him. Make no mistake it is not love or anything like it that pulls him towards her, it is nothing but a combination of boredom and pure animal lust.

'American Beauty' is a remarkable film that has left it's mark on the cinema world and beyond. It's dark depiction of middle class suburbia has spawned a line of similar creations such as 'The Stepford Wives' and T.V. show 'Desperate Housewives'. But no matter how many movies or T.V. shows come in it's wake, it is doubtful that any of them will match the dark, bizzare fascinating nature of this classic.

On-lookers must, indeed, look closer
It's genuinely tough for me to imagine actors who could have taken part in the task of Lester Burnham better than Kevin Spacey as the pummelled, "sedated" father and front spirit. Spacey creates such an authentic temperament in Burnham, so great in fact I can scarcely suppose of what - or who - could exceed such in the fastidious picture.
Annette Bening, too, was unparalleled in this straight-forward view of contemporary suburban existence and the intricacies complied within (betrayal, acrimony and stereotypically-based hatred). The work Bening and Spacey did together, I thought made quite the onscreen couple, even if they were well-nigh "at each other's throats."
Both of them worked well separately, though, as solitary husband and wife that contradicted what "marriage" theoretically stands for:
- Lester Burnham: outwardly insignificant father given to monotony. His wife and child care less for him than he does himself, and the splendor he once felt in life has long but faded away. Yet, still a frightening revelation comes to him as fantasies of Lester's daughter's friend, Angela Hayes (played adequately by Mena Suvari), succumb his mind's primary thought: seduction. This idea fuels him to become a better man by working out, standing up for himself, and to quote, "Look good naked."
- Carolyn Burnham: intrepid, audacious mother who takes nothing that gets in her way. Her real-estate ideals are unlike her competitors', but her willingness to succeed forces her to abandon her motherly compassion once felt in early matrimony, and furthermore drops any warmth for her husband. The only happiness she feels as a distant infatuation is her only child, Jane, growing up to perhaps be like her mother; that is, until she [Carolyn] meets real-estate "king" Buddy Kane [Peter Gallagher] and the two start a private gathering at a remote hotel. By doing this, pleasure isn't far behind.

My only existent matter with this, thus the shy star four, was Thora Birch's presentation as daughter Jane Burnham. It's like this diminutive function of at present teenagers symbolize all adolescents living a suburban lifestyle, where in truth, it has no factual bearings whatsoever. I agree that some kids that age may meet the cliché, but it angers me to see how blatantly clear the part can be - every bloody typecast pointed toward teenagers was spoken out through the role, and it was as a result so palpably done that I was left dumbstruck. I mean, give the girl some meticulous judgment, at the least; don't parade her around to be the poster child for teenaged children far and wide, inhabiting the suburbs.
I am, of course, referring to the line Lester [Spacey] says in the opening, which is: "Jane is a pretty typical teenager: angry, insecure, confused." THAT ISN'T NOW HOW WE ALL ARE! A large amount of us have resourceful point of views, astute tastes and peeves. We do not all wish ourselves dead, or one and all else, and, no less than speaking for myself when I say we are neither angry, insecure nor confused. A lot of us have a subterranean, reflective outlook on life and its purpose, but it's brushed off as incoherent, hormonal drivel that has no conscious knowledge. Not only does Birch's nature suffer by this, but the other two youngster roles (Wes Bentley as Ricky Fitts and Mena Suvari as Angela Hayes) suffer as well. All three personas discolor with the pigeonholing beyond originality:
- Jane Burnham: ostensibly miserable female, insecure and apathetic.
- Ricky Fitts: inquisitive male, confident and carefree.
- Angela Hayes: self-interested female, inconsiderate and narcissistic.
All three of these personalities spoil what could have made this film a masterpiece, purely since it deals single-handedly with these images and nothing suggestively evoked. Like the screenplay has word-painted descriptions of these qualities, and the aforementioned actors / actresses fit them wonderfully (whatever advantage that has), without much embellishment for characterized, legitimate leads . . . it tires me.

Anyway, perchance I'm reading too much into this portrayal of "typical" youth, but for my own part, that isn't my nature at all.
In any case, my deepest apologies for that outburst.

Moving on, the cinematography was pleasant,
and Thomas Newman's simple and reflective score had Oscar™ written all over it, and a shame it didn't win. Sam Mendes [director] did an outstanding job here, generally speaking, and I would advance this picture to all audience alike, more so as its themes struck a note for me so towering, that I pray you experience the same reaction.

American Snapshot
Nothing less than a blistering indictment of the American Dream and American suburbia. Lester Burnham is a post adolescent shmuck with a boring job and a wife and teenage daughter who loathe him. Then he developes the hots for his daughter's friend and experiences a rejuvenation. He quits his job, smokes some dope, buffs up and begins to live a little. Kevin Spacey gives what may very well be the performance of his career. Annette Bening is incredible as the money grubbing soulness phoney. All the performances are outstanding, really. A movie about love and loneliness and about how alienated we are from each other in a narcisstic world obsessed with looks and techie toys.

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