American Beauty
In the critically acclaimed American Beauty, director Sam Mendes takes the distorted notion of success in our culture and creates an analytic film that gives a disturbing look at what's accepted as "everyday life." There hasn't been such satirical insight into the American nuclear family since Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." American Beauty peels away the cushy layer of society's skin and exposes the pulsating insides of greed, vulnerability and exquisite beauty that lie underneath.
The film is narrated by 42 year-old Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), who is slowly drowning in the monotony of his "pathetic" life. The highlight of his day is his morning whack-off in the shower. The rest of his day might as well be non-existent, and as he states, "I might as well be non-existent." Lester decides to quit his job and pursue more constructive interests -- such as his pubescent lust for his teenage daughter's friend Angela (Mena Suvari). She sparks his motivation to get buff, get stoked, and get the hell away from any type of adult responsibility.
Not only does Lester become alive again with this transformation, he gets to see his neurotic wife Carol flip her lid. Annette Bening nails this role, brilliantly portraying Carol and her strife to emulate nothing but perfection and success. Her spastic outbursts are gut-wrenchingly hilarious, whether she's screaming behind the wheel of her SUV, or at the dinner table with Barry Manilow crooning in the background.
Having to swim in the middle of this marital chaos is Jane, played by Thora Birch. Birch does a commendable job portraying her character with Daria-esque cynicism. Frustrated with her wacked-out parents, she concludes that her family life is causing her severe mental damage. There for her support is not her flaky friend Angela, but her mysterious neighbor Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley).
Ricky, who recently moved in next door to the Burnhams, soon becomes a wily tempter for Lester and a thought-provoking partner for Jane. His character plays up the double standards of our society with cunning grace. Also living in an unhappy home, Ricky leads a secret life away from his subservient mother (Allison Janney) and close-minded father Colonel Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper). He has a strong fetish for filming everything and everyone in their natural state. From the outside one would take offense to his voyeurism, yet he is merely capturing people off-guard, exposing them as vulnerable, confused and emotional human beings.
Another strong point of American Beauty is the unique cinematography. Director of Photography Conrad Hall and Editor Chris Greenley chose to show a repetitive rhythm of one shot creating a double-take effect. This technique emphasizes each intricate step of seduction that occurs in Lester's sensual fantasies with Angela. Distinct symbolism of the color red is also found throughout the film, particularly red roses that brilliantly contrast against the duller hues in the film -- causing them to practically "pop" off of the screen.
Declared a "darkly comical and beautifully crafted masterpiece," American Beauty exposes the raw beauty that is found in the most unexpected places, inviting the audience to "look closer" and see the true human nature that lies within.
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Great flick to knock a few back -- just be sure that your attention span isn't too dulled to miss the details...
Many creatively steamy scenes to keep couples entertained.
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