Great Acting, Great Direction, OK Script

Rating: 1/10 (3 January 2002)

(Minor Spoiler Alert) American Beauty was not quite the most overhyped movie of the year. The acting by all people, especially Allison Janney, Thora Birch, Anette Bening, and Kevin Spacey. All of those people deserved the unanimous critical praise that they received for their great performances. As did Sam Mendes for his deft direction. And the music was wonderful. I felt overall, however, the movie became tedious and preachy. I get the idea of having every stereotype of dysfunctional suburba society all living right next door too each other. But all of their dysfunctions had been brought up before. Nothing that this movie said had not been said before. This is just the first time that all of this analysis of the problems in suburban America had been attacked all at once. Also,the script was written in such a way that it was so enamored with itself that what it was saying became meaningless. Some scenes, mostly those involving the Wes Bentley character, (though again, he gave a great performance) were so falsely brilliant that it was oppressive. It was as though the words coming from the characters mouths were the greatest observations about American society that ever were conceived. Even when American Beauty was making a good point, like the sofa scene, it was as though the writer was taunting you and saying, "look how brilliant I am." When I left the movie I felt that the movie had bullied me into thinking that it was brilliant and original, but in reality it wasn't. I think that Kevin Spacey deserved his Academy Award, and Anette Bening deserved to win. As did Sam Mendes. But to call this movie the best picture of 1999 is ridiculous. There were much better movies that year that did not have to feign intelligence through an stifling script. 6/10