"American Beauty" - More than Just Skin Deep by Homer Yen (c) 1999
`American Beauty' offers us a glimpse into what really fuels suburban families, like that of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). In doing so, the film tears apart the suburban myth of well-trimmed rose-gardens and automatic garage door openers. Sure, Lester may have a nice house, a family, and a relatively secure future, but his life isn't much more exciting than that of a mannequin. And though he projects a constant smile, his life is just an endless spiral of boredom and the highlight of his day is his morning shower. What has made his life so bereft of passion? Perhaps it's his prissy wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening). She also smiles a lot and tries to excel as a real estate agent. But her life is equally vacuous and her soul is joyless. Her self-confidence is almost non-existent, and her marriage to the milquetoast Lester is nothing but a loveless sham. Daughter Jane (Thora Birch) doesn't add any sanity to this family either. Even Lester admits that what neighbors see is `a commercial for how normal we are when we're anything but.'
Now, dig a little deeper and look a little closer. This film reveals some very surprising things that you would never think would exist. What gets Lester's juices flowing again is Angela (Mena Suvari), a friend of Jane's that he begins fantasizing about. Angela, who confidently boasts about her adult experiences, doesn't mind the attention and says that if Lester had more muscles, she would be interested. DING! Lester breaks out the weights and starts a running regimen. But this is just the beginning of the new Lester. He quits his job and blackmails his boss at the same time, he begins smoking powerful marijuana, and he buys a classic muscle car. But why should Lester have all the fun? His radical actions prompt Carolyn to begin an affair with her chief competitor while Jane begins to take an interest in a mysterious boy next door.
The wheels are set in motion and the film wonderfully strips any conventions that we have of suburbia and gives us some very strange yet sad characters with whom we can empathize. For Lester, it's time to let loose. He no longer cares about anything and while chaos can destroy the sanctity of his home, it is the only thing he appreciates now in his life. Consequently, the situations that he winds up in are often funny, poignant, and amusing. A counter-story to Lester's life features a militaristic, homophobic retired marine living next door. He preaches discipline to his son. But like the Burnham's nothing on the outside is as it really seems. The real interesting point that this film makes features another of Lester's neighbors, Jim and Jim (Scott Bakula and Sam Robards), who are gay. Despite their strange outward appearance, their lives were the most normal of all.
The beauty of `American Beauty' is it's harsh revelations and brutally frank situations. This is not a film that strives to entertain as a comedy. Rather it is a film that tries to scrape away at the true nature of people like Lester Burnham. As Lester, Kevin Spacey is comfortable and almost too real as the dispirited suburbanite whose last chance at living is fading fast. Annette Bening also shows might in her portrayal of the brittle housewife. However all of the wonderfully developed characters and their complexities will beg you to ask yourself what may really be going on in your own cul-de-sac world.
Grade: B
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