**** out of ****
Year: 1999. Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Peter Gallagher, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, Scott Bakula, Sam Robards. Written by Alan Ball. Directed by Sam Mendes. Rated R.
Good God almighty, what a movie. Let me ask you something, fair reader. Are you feeling a little down after wading through the late-summer dreck thrown at us by the movie studios recently? Do you need something to restore your faith in film making? Never fear, because a film called "American Beauty" has come along to prove that, yes, studio-funded films can still be ambitious and intelligent. It's funny, tragic, entertaining, and thought-provoking all at once, and may be the most impressive film released by a major studio in the last three years. If nothing else, "American Beauty" proves that Hollywood can still churn out a well-written and satisfying movie when it wants to. Oh, and by the way, Kevin Spacey is one hell of an actor.
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a man stuck in a rut. He works at a dead-end job, is married to Carolyn (Annette Bening), a wife he no longer cares for, and has a teenage daughter (Thora Birch) he pays no attention to. The film opens with Lester, as narrator, telling the audience about how pathetic his life has become. He would seem to have it all: a family, a house in the suburbs, and a steady job, but he is unhappy. Wishing his life weren't so boring, Lester waits for something to pull him out of his oppressively dull existence. His wait is ended when he is dragged to a basketball game at the local high school during which his daughter Jane will perform in a cheerleading routine. During the routine, Lester's focus turns to his daughter's beautiful friend and fellow cheerleader Angela (Mena Suvari), who awakens his previously-dormant libido and inspires him to break out of his dead-end life. He quits his job (but not before blackmailing his former employers for a sizable severance payment), begins lifting weights and smoking pot with abandon, and buys a brand-new sports car in which he cruises around town blasting 70's rock music. Lester's newfound freedom has serious repercussions on his family, who are taken completely by surprise when he starts behaving so strangely.
The above plot summary doesn't remotely do justice to the numerous sub-plots and characters in "American Beauty," and I will touch on several of those later on, but I begin by centering on the character of Lester Burnham because the actor playing him has delivered the best performance of his rather illustrious career. That's not an exaggeration. Folks, if there was ever any doubt of Kevin Spacey's immense acting talent, this film should put an end to it straight away. Spacey is a complete delight here, delivering each line with such conviction and depth that one can find at least two, and often three meanings behind everything he says. At times, it seems like he finds meaning that the screenwriter didn't even intend to be there. When his lines are comical, Spacey makes them hilarious. When they're dramatic, they' re shattering. When poignant, it's absolutely heartbreaking. I could go on raving about Spacey, but he has plenty of worthy co-stars, so I'll just say that he delivers the kind of performance that makes you think the actor has far more screen time than he actually does.
While Spacey delivers the standout performance in "American Beauty," part of the film's genius is that his is not necessarily the most important character. That burden may actually fall on the shoulders of Wes Bentley, who plays Ricky, the boy next door who spends much of his time videotaping his neighbors, particularly the melancholy Jane. He initially appears as a peripheral character, an outside observer, but Jane is soon drawn to his mysterious nature, while Lester finds in him an unexpected confidant (and drug provider). As it turns out, Ricky is not videotaping the Burnhams solely for voyeuristic purposes, but because he sees something strangely beautiful in them, along with everything else he records. A particularly revealing passage has Ricky narrating some footage he took of a plastic bag blowing in the wind, telling Jane, "Sometimes I feel there's so much beauty in the world, I just can't take it." The quote feels like it should, a little bit simplistic, but awfully profound for a 17-year-old kid.
Bentley is a revelation in his role, which should garner him more choice parts in the future. It's not easy to play a character like Ricky without coming off as silly, but Bentley manages a certain earnestness that can't be dismissed. Every other actor in "American Beauty" also delivers a fine performance. Bening starts off as an annoyingly shallow caricature, but reveals a sad desperation when left alone with her own self-doubt. Suvari likewise seems a stereotypical teenage vixen, but in a particularly rending scene near the end of the film, Bentley tears down her facade with a few well-placed comments. Suvari really shows some acting chops here, and it may be the most singularly honest scene in the film. Chris Cooper, playing Ricky 's controlling ex-Marine father, is intense and frightening. It's a fine performance from an unappreciated character actor, and even though his character isn't fleshed out as much as the others, rest assured that even he is not what he seems on the surface.
A great strength of "American Beauty's" script is its refusal to draw up simple characters and keep them as they are. The characters here change and grow, and even though they aren't the nicest people in the world, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for each and every one of them at some point during the movie. I was often reminded of the first time I saw "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was initially put off by what I saw as the inherent shallowness of Blanche DuBois. Of course, it is eventually revealed that the shallowness is there for a reason, as Blanche's annoying personality is only skin deep. There are similar characters, and similar disrobing moments in "American Beauty" (and I'm talking about metaphorical disrobing, not the literal kind that Birch and Suvari each engage in during the film). Just remember, whatever you think of the characters' personalities early in "American Beauty," it's a very thin veneer.
What makes this film's accomplishments all the more remarkable is that the director, Sam Mendes, is directing a feature film for the first time! Having only worked in live theater previously, Mendes directs "American Beauty" as though he's been making movies for years. The film doesn't feel like a photographed play; rather, the director has a good feel for three-dimensional space, and he delves into symbolism and expressionism with a steady hand. The screenplay, by Alan Ball, occasionally sinks into the plotting of a trumped-up sitcom, but the characters are fully realized, and its most shocking scenes hit like a ton of bricks. Mendes utilizes the script to its full extent, and succeeds in squeezing every last drop of effort out of his actors. It's nice to see a movie in which the entire cast has put their best foot forward, and the end result doesn't look like a wasted effort.
Ultimately, this film is about people who feel trapped. Sometimes they are trapped by others, and sometimes they have trapped themselves. An overriding illustration of this is in Spacey's opening narration, in which he reveals to the audience that he will be dead by the end of the year. Not only does this help us focus on the characters by drawing attention away from the film 's plottier elements and set up Lester as a tragic figure, but it has the added effect of creating him as a man who is "trapped" by fate. No matter how much Lester tries to recapture his youth, it is too late for him. In this, the film would seem terminally cynical, but it is ultimately redeeming. For you see, though he has lost his life, Lester Burnham has accomplished his goal. At the time of his death, he has long since broken out of his rut, while forcing others to break out of theirs, with sometimes disastrous results.
"American Beauty" is the kind of film that when looking for something to best encapsulate the 90's, one could hold up as a prime candidate, and few would argue. It takes a microscope to the overriding cynicism of the decade and tries to discover just what triggered such an attitude. Several films have tried to get at this idea, with varying results, but none have been half as entertaining and satisfying as "American Beauty." This is a stunning film, a rare occasion when direction, writing, acting, and even studio funding blend to create a masterpiece.
-reviewed by Shay Casey
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