If it weren't for the performances...

Rating: Null/10 (17 October 2002)

Is it just me or has anyone noticed how similar in tone & structure this film is to Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm" from the year before? (which, in my opinion, is a better film) I like "American Beauty." It is a quality piece of work, but I've always felt it was completely overrated. The subject matter concerning the alienated, troubled, even psychotic mentality lying beneath the surface, conformist veneer of American suburbia is certainly nothing new to film. "Ordinary People" was all about that. Hell, "Rebel Without a Cause" is largely about that! So we all now know good & well that everyone who lives in the suburbs are completely unhip to the city, living a life of denial and don't know how to communicate accept in a destructive, passive-aggressive manner that ends in tragedy. Right? Don't tell me "American Beauty" is anything new. Filmmakers have hated suburbanites since there were suburbs.
That said, the performances completely redeem my quibbles with the material (there are actually MANY more things I have problems with, but I've long since grown bored with the discussion, as well as these tired plotlines. Now comes the time on Sprockets when we dance!). Lester Burnham is perhaps one of THE great characters ever put on film, and that wouldn't have possible without Kevin Spacey. Thora Birch, apart from being a natural beauty, is mesmerizing in her vulnerable alienation (if you haven't seen her is "Ghost World," seek it out. Her performance was THE best I've seen from last year.). Annette Benning's bitchiness rivals that of Kathleen Turner's in "War of the Roses" yet she manages to maintain a certain level of sympathy about her character. Mena Suvari is engaging and likeable in the way she can always be counted on for, even in fairly bad films like "Loser." Without a doubt, all of these performances are completely deserving of major praise.

Sure, there are those of you who will say: just because the subject material is familiar, the entire movie shouldn't be held to fault. After all, wasn't "High Noon" or "The Searchers" just another western? Wasn't "Reservoir Dogs" just another heist flick or "Jaws" just another monster movie? In a certain sense, the answer to those questions is yes, but I would also add that each of these films brought something so new and profound to their genres that make you completely forget about the cliches the filmmakers were using. I don't see this with "American Beauty." As I watched, the expected happened, as well as the unnecessary. By the end, the audience is bludgeoned with a point already made abundantly and numbingly clear. This, I feel, betrays the brilliance of the performances. Did I mention that I still, nonetheless, like this movie?
7/10