Look closer indeed

Rating: 8/10 (11 January 2010)

This film's tagline implores you to "look closer". And to truly appreciate the film you must do exactly that. Is anything really as it seems? Is anyone really who they outwardly appear to be? So many characters in the film, and really the story itself, have layers upon layers to them. As the story plays itself out we peel those layers away one by one and eventually we get to the truth and to the heart of who these characters really are. And we see that in many cases the signs were there all along if only we knew to look for them. Look closer.
American Beauty centers around Lester Burnham, a middle-aged man with a job he hates, a wife who ignores him and a 16-year old daughter who thinks he is pretty much the biggest loser to ever walk the earth. Under these circumstances it is not particularly surprising that as we meet him Lester is about to go though a midlife crisis of staggering proportions. Part of the story's genius is that Lester, in his role as the film's narrator, immediately tells us how his story will end. Tucking this bit of information away in the back of your mind gives you an entirely different perspective as you watch the story play itself out. Throughout the story's many twists and turns you can't help but wonder how what you are seeing in any given moment will help lead to the conclusion you know is coming. And when that end comes, inevitable though it may be, it still manages to produce quite the shock in the manner in which it arrives. And then the film is over and you are left to piece it all together in your mind. It's a wonderfully crafted story and the fact that it was a first-time director in Sam Mendes who was able to piece it all together so well is rather astonishing.
Kevin Spacey is undeniably brilliant in playing the part of Lester. He makes us feel Lester's frustrations, his longings, and allows us to really enjoy Lester's rare little moments of triumph. When first we see him Lester is so beaten down that it would take something truly amazing to jolt him back to life. Unfortunately for Lester that jolt comes in the rather inappropriate form of his daughter's friend who he lusts after and obsesses over from the moment he first lays eyes on her. Of course this 40-something year old man's obsession with a teenage girl is wildly inappropriate. But it's hard not to sympathize with Lester anyway as his newfound infatuation shakes him out of his rut and allows him to finally start living again.
As Lester's story plays itself out Spacey is ably supported by a wonderful cast all around him. Annette Bening plays his rather cold, career-obsessed wife Carolyn. Carolyn is a woman not immune to the occasional moment of freaking out and at times there's the sense Bening is going a little bit over the top but she's mostly fine. It is three young performers who really shine. Thora Birch plays Lester's daughter Jane and imbues the character with the profound sense of disappointment she feels in her father and in the general state of her life. It's a very mature performance from a very young performer. As Angela, the object of Lester's misguided affections, Mena Suvari has a smaller part to play than Birch but she is very good as well. We know Lester's looking closely at Angela. You should too because there may be plenty hidden under the surface there. And Wes Bentley is a revelation in playing the Burnhams' young neighbor Ricky. After seeing him here one would have expected Bentley to go on to do many great things after this film. That hasn't quite panned out but in this film Bentley gives a wonderfully nuanced, emotional performance. There's one more important role and that belongs to Chris Cooper playing Ricky's father. Here again, look closer. This film is the story of Lester Burnham but there are so many other wonderfully developed characters as well. The film has a fascinating story to tell and that story is crafted rather ingeniously. It's a story you can't help but appreciate and one which you may be turning over in your mind long after the final credits roll. Look closer. And enjoy.