BBM at the Movies - American Beauty review

    There are very few films that I have ever watched where at the end I have said "that was an absolutely brilliant film," the last film that did this was Shawshank Redemption and so it has taken since 1994 for another to come around. There have been great films in between - The Matrix is one that immediately springs to mind - but despite it being one of my favourite films it somehow didn't provoke such a reaction in me.
     American Beauty is primarily the story of Lester Burnham but we also get to see the different sides of the story from the point of view of those people who are close to Lester ie. his wife and daughter, his daughter's friend and his daughter's boyfriend who is also her new next door neighbour, so we are given an insight to his life as well and his relationship with his ill mother and ex-marine father.
     Lester has had enough. He has realised that his life is stuck in a rut and that the same routine day-in, day-out has got to change. This change is triggered by his realisation that his relationship with his daughter is pretty much none existent and his failing marriage, to a wife that is too busy living the life of a successful real estate agent to give any thought to him has become something that he can't tolerate a day longer. And so he doesn't and he consciously turns his life totally upside down.
     One of the major factors in the success of the film is that all the characters are so well developed even down to the two Jim's. This isn't just down to the brilliant script but each part is acted to perfection. Kevin Spacey gets a real chance to show the world what a lot of people have known for years - that he is one of the best actors of the last decade. He doesn't often appear in the staring role in most of his films but he has consistently shown throughout the nineties in films such as Seven, LA Confidential and The Usual Suspects that when he plays a character he is totally believable as whoever it is he is playing. I mean you only have to see him in Seven to realise this. He does, as he says in American Beauty, "Rule!"
- In May 1999 he was voted the greatest actor of the decade by Empire Magazine.
     There's so much more that I want to say but I want to keep it Spoiler free. I feel compelled to describe the ending to those people that haven't seen it, because the last half an hour or so is what made it for me a 9.5 film instead of 8.5 or 9 but I won't. At the moment when Colonel Fitts is watching Lester and Ricky in Lester's garage I was actually thinking of saying in my review that "although it was good I could figure out what was going to happen at the end from miles away." As it happened I was right about the final outcome, but the manner in which it occurs and the times that I changed my mind before it actually happened pretty much makes my first impulse void.
     It's an absolutely brilliant film and incredibly funny. Most people have probably seen it by now but if you haven't rent it out tonight. I think the best testament of how good American Beauty is, is that I watched it this morning on video and went to get the DVD this afternoon. I don't like parting with Ł20 without having a good reason for doing so but I just had to have this film in my collection and writing all this makes me want to watch it again right now.

BBM recommended listening - It is shortly after the time when he made the decision to do
                                            what the heck he wants. Lester is in the car, on his way to
                                            his local drive thru Smiley Burger, left hand on the steering
                                            wheel and a joint in the other. He is simultaneously playing
                                            air-guitar and and making guitar sounds whilst singing this
                                            top song - click here.

DVD Features :

* Look Closer - The making of American Beauty
     interviews with all principal actors, producers (inc Speilberg) and Sam Mendes
     + behind the scenes footage.
* Storyboard presentation
* 2 trailers.