A Different View

Rating: Null/10 (9 October 1999)

I was not immediately swept up and absorbed by this film as so many other people apparently were; I think that that is due in part to the fact that (1) I have not spent most of my life in the suburbs and (2) I have never had a corporate job like the ones Kevin Spacey or Annette Benning have in this film. That said, I couldn't quite relate to the isolation and anger that their characters felt. And frankly, it scares me to think that so many people could relate to these characters' lives... It's a sad commentary on the state of American culture.
That said, I still thought the film was very good. The writing was sharp, the acting was impeccable (especially by Spacey and Benning), and the direction was focused. There are many memorable scenes (ie. Spacey's fantasies, Ricky's video-taping, etc.). Still, the movie had its problems (**WARNING** **WARNING**: **PLOT SPOILERS**): First or all, the whole series of misunderstandings that led Col. Fitts to believe his son was gay was just too improbable. Those types of misunderstandings, (especially what the Col thinks he sees when he's looking from the window) belong in silly romantic-comedies. Also, I could see the Col's little secret coming from a mile away. I mean, when a character in a movie like this is so defined by his opinions on one subject, you know he has to be hiding something. Furthermore, I wasn't convinced that Carolyn (Benning) would have really had the guts to shoot Lester (Spacey). She would have gotten blood all over her $4,000 sofa if she'd done that. :) More likely, I think she would have just continued with her affair and ignored Lester and his mid-life crisis.

Okay, maybe I'm just trying to find fault with the movie just to go against the hype and bring the movie back down to earth. It's still a great movie, and deserves to be seen. I'm anxious to see how it stacks up on Oscar night. My prediction is that this one will go all the way, unless it's died down too much by the time March rolls around. Oh -- after the movie, it struck me that this would be the kind of movie that Billy Wilder would have made if he were still directing today. After all, it did borrow the technique of having a dead man narrate the story from Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard." This movie's tone and attitude reminded me of a '90s version of "The Apartment." Not in plot, or anything like that, but just in style. Does anyone have any opinions on that? I'd be curious to hear what others have to say on that subject.