Not only is American Beauty the finest film of 2000, it is probably the best film of the decade. It is a film devoid of a sentimentality, a tailored ending , or any form of tinkering on the part of the studio.
Lester Burnham has become transformed from someone who used to always " party and get laid " to a weary family man with a troubled marriage, a daughter who hates him and a job that sinks him further and further into human insignificance as each day goes by. His soul is diminished, he is just another walking talking ordinary guy, no different from his co-workers. And it's getting him down.
Part of the brilliance of " American Beauty " is the way it lays out the characters, all with their own plights and anxieties , as if challenging the viewer to take a side, a character to identify with. The strange kid next door, his sexually repressed father, Lester's troubled wife and daughter, the insecure model wannabe. All of these characters are shown to be deeply stressed about different matters, each one is in trouble. This shows that underlying the American " happy family " mentality lies some really screwed up individuals, or rather , real living , breathing human beings.
" American Beauty " 's message seems to concern the reclamation of individuality, even if the consequences are dire. When we first meet Lester, describing his morning rituals, he is a spirit-less figure, bullied by his bitchy wife and made fun of by his daughter. He is not living, just existing. By the end of the film, he is a reformed character, clearly evident from his repeated statement , " I'm great ".
The acting here is marvellous, led by the wonderful Kevin Spacey. His Lester Burnham goes from being lifeless and polite to devious, almost wicked, quick witted and intense, brilliantly displayed in his dinner - table confrontation with wife Caroline and daughter Jane, with the ingenious metaphorical line " Will someone pass me the f****** asparagus ? ". His performance is a pure tour-de-force, delivering humour and emotion with a punch. The supporting performances from Thora Birch, Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari are terrific, only led down by Anette Benings ludicrously over-the-top interpretation of Lester's wife, Caroline, which at times threatens to spoil the proceedings.
Mendes's direction throughout is ingenious, every shot cleverly cued up, none more so than the now famous image of Mena Suvari writhing around in a bed of rose petals. The gliding shots of Burnham's street gives a sense of the spirit gliding and the lack of individuality in American suburbia.
Since almost every scene in American Beauty is now a modern classic, it's hard to pick just one to scrutinise but I personally loved the sequence in which the madness of the characters is encapsulated. Caroline in her car, screaming at the breaking up of her marriage, while music pumps showing Lester regaining his spirit, lifting weights and smoking pot in his garage, all while his daughter is planning to run away, and his next door neighbour is about to come in and " embrace " him. Wonderful stuff, and as stated in a famous David Lean epic " Madness, madness . "
Overall, American Beauty is a stunning film, showing life at it's most fragile, and for anyone thinking that it is just an entertaining family drama… Look Closer. |
