American Beauty (1999)

Review by Bret Walker

This is Sam Mendes' first film, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. Or perhaps it is its sheer beauty that belies this director's first foray. In today's Hollywood where image is everything, the story has to move quickly, and one liners and happy endings rule the day, this film stands proudly in stark contrast.

Indeed, it is contrast that is the underlying theme of this film. The contrast between a dull man coming alive and his wife falling into a deep rut. The contrast between a military man and his slightly depraved artistic son. The contrast between a Goth girl and a Seventeen model. The contrast between the reality of the audience and the story on the screen.

It is the story of Lester Burnham, a man who becomes disillusioned with his life at 41. He finds no joy or reward in a job that he has to justify to his employers, or in a marriage that he has to justify to himself. His wife is a struggling realtor with issues of self confidence and self image. Their daughter is embarrassed at her father's drooling depravity over her fellow cheerleader and best friend. It is, in fact, Lester's Nobakovian infatuation with this girl that begins his slow slide into self consciousness and, finally, the bliss that comes from being perfectly at peace with oneself.

Mendes uses contrast in the physical layout of the film as well. He paints a picture with drab and dull colors (much like that of Lester's life), and shocks the audience to full arousal with a wash of red rose petals, signifying the awakening that is taking place within Lester, an awakening that is finally his undoing.

I've seen this film twice now - once in the theater and once on video. It is well worth a look. Spacey gives a performance that is well deserving of the Oscar he received, and Mendes is spectacular in his freshman outing as a director. It is truly an American film that lives up to the name American Beauty.

Rating:

Trivia:

Kevin Spacey won his first Oscar for a leading role for this film. It marks his second Oscar overall (his first for Actor in a Supporting Role for The Usual Suspects (1995)).

Kevin Spacey went to Chatsworth High School with Val Kilmer and Mare Winningham.

Mena Suvari was in two "American" films in 1999: she also appeared in American Pie as "Heather."

Of the three "classmates" in this film, Thora Birch is the youngest (born in 1982, while Suvari and Bentley were born in 1979 and 1978 respectively), but has the most films to her credit, with 19. The other two have a total of 18 films between them (Suvari has appeared in 12 films, and Bentley in 6).

Links:

The Official American Beauty Website

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