Ultimate Suburban Freak-Out Flick

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2004)

The clock is ticking on the life of hapless advertising journalist Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) as events in his screwed-up upper-middle-class neighborhood conspire to deprive him of his wife, his daughter, his job, and ultimately his life. Yet such is his situation that he finds peace and even humor in his predicament, and so will many a viewer in what is one of the 1990s' greatest films.
"American Beauty" is one of those rare films where everything works. The acting, especially Spacey but also Annette Bening, Mena Suvari, and Peter Gallagher, all perform incredible balancing acts between drama and comedy while keeping their feet planted in a sense of reality. Sam Mendes' direction manages to find new visual ideas at every steps, compelling ones that lift our appreciation of the story; while Alan Ball's arresting script sets a fast pace that never lets up even as it pauses to "look closer" into the minds of its characters. Set direction, camera-work (by the late, great Conrad Hall), editing on a mission from God, a terrific vintage score, this is one film that never feels tired.
Definitely a surreal film, with its dream sequences and outrageous moments of character and action, "American Beauty" still feels completely representative of its time and place, Clinton-era blue-state America. Carolyn lives the life of a Martha-Stewart wannabe, trapped in a myth of human perfection, while Lester is a dehumanized corporate drone, living a life of profitability but zero richness. The dialogue is brilliant, not only because it averages one quotable line every minute but because it is grounded in the kind of casual conversation we hear around us every day.
It's also a very bold film, from its opening montage of Lester's morning ritual to its proposition that the one healthy protagonist in the whole film is a drug-dealing former mental patient. Spacey's lust for teenage Angela Hayes (Suvari) is presented in such a way to not only invite sympathy but even a sense of triumph when he seems about to achieve his dream. (By the way, I'm convinced people miss a comic highlight by focusing on Suvari's exquisite body and missing her eyes, which flash and roll at all the right moments like a nymphoid Carol Burnett channeling Joan Crawford.)
I don't like everything about this movie. The reveal of Col. Fits' big secret is too pat and typically knee-jerk Hollywood, and Lester's handling of his job situation feels excessive even within the rubbery confines of this film. But these are creative disagreements that further one's thinking about the movie, and appreciating it more. You can find yourself at odds with "American Beauty" in its philosophy, and its conclusions about the state of our society, but still relish its vibrancy and conviction of purpose.
Finally, there's a nice metaphysical construct to this movie, a post-Christian transcendentalism that may be as empty as a doughnut hole but offers some interesting food for thought about the unexamined life. You may not think a bag fluttering in a breeze represents true beauty, but you can enjoy how it calls into question our materialistic, self-centered way of life. It works in large part because it's never pressed too hard, never connected to the story points in a concrete way, but it works.
I agree with other posters here who say "American Beauty" is one Oscar winner for Best Picture that only gains stature with the passing years. Everyone should see it once. Most of those that do will want to see it again.