American Beauty (8/10)
Kevin Spacey is one of the few actors whose name in the credits alone would make me want to see a film. Even in his smaller roles, such as his portrayal of serial killer John Doe in Seven, he makes an impact far beyond his screen time, but here he is given the chance to move from being the king of character actors to being a movie star. He probably doesn't think of it in those terms, but that's what's happened. Spacey plays Lester Burhnam, a bumbling inconsequential man in a joyless marriage to Carolyn (Annette Benning) and with a daughter (Thora Birch) who hates him for being so pathetic. Lester considers himself to be half-dead. Then he meets his daughter's pretty friend (Mena Suvari) and his life is transformed. But this is not just a film about a middle-aged man falling for a young girl. The film's main theme is developed by Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), the Burnham's new neighbour, who sees beauty all around him and captures this beauty on video.
Although Sam Mendes is a first-time movie director, he has worked in the theatre, notable directing Nicole Kidman in the London production of The Blue Room. Given this background, it is not surprising that he has obtained such fine, emotionally revealing performances from his cast, but what is striking is that he has not just directed a play and filmed it - he has made a technically sophisticated movie and had fun playing with the medium, but he never falls into the trap of being gratuitously tricksy. Given that this is a film about beauty, it is appropriate that the film itself is often astonishingly beautiful. The idea of finding beauty in unexpected places is taken to an extreme in some grainy video footage of a plastic bag blowing in the wind; one of the most gorgeous images I'd ever see in a movie. And in the use of colour and the framing of characters in their environment, such as the Burnhams at their dining table, Mendes and cinematographer Conrad Hall produce images that could have been by Kubrick.
There are moments of utter delight in the screenplay by Alan Ball (another first-timer), which shares some thematic similarities to David Fincher's Fight Club - even the leading characters' names (Lester Burnham and Tyler Durden) have a similar ring. Lester echoes Tyler in his rejection of society's obsession with material goods, telling his wife that "it's just stuff" and seeking fulfilment in less conventional ways. There are also similarities to Todd Solondz's Happiness, which also frankly examines middle-American family life and sexual mores. American Beauty, however, has found an audience Happiness couldn't, maybe because Solondz's film was a little too brutal.
I've seen American Beauty film twice - once with a typical suburban multiplex crowd and one with an audience made up almost entirely of students. Both times the cinema was packed and both audiences seemed to love the film. Lets hope the Hollywood bean-counter take note - serious, intelligent and accessible movies can be made by new writers and directors. And these films can make lots of money.
Although it contains much to admire and enjoy, American Beauty is not perfect. It works better in pieces than as a whole and there is a clumsy sub-plot and framing device involving Ricky's father, a homophobic ex- Marines colonel. Although finely played by Chris Cooper, this character seems to have no relevance to the substance of the film and his existence in the story seems contrived to provide a dramatic and tidy end. Its structural flaws aside, American Beauty is a fine film - it's just not quite the masterpiece that the generally ecstatic critical reception would suggest.
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Gary Jones
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