Cliche, or true originality? Does it matter?

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2002)

All things considered, it is rather astounding that "American Beauty" has attained the status it has. The story is hardly original, constructed as it is from every tired stereotype about the middle-class, middle age and middle America; the materialistic, self-destructive wife for whom the American Dream has become a psychotic delusion, mid-life crisis man, who assumes the way to regain his vitality is to flirt with teenage girls, smoke pot and drive a firebird, the borderline pervert kid next door who is really just a passionate misunderstood artist, and rebellious, sulky teenage daughter.
Many scenes are lifted from the bottom of the movie plot stock barrel; the dead man narrating his story from the grave, the wet dream of the girl in the bath ("I was hoping you would join me..."), the suddenly predatory office worker who threatens his boss with exposure, the snarky one-liner upon catching someone in flagrante delicto, etc, etc.
So, how, after all of this, does this film manage to seem so compellingly, wildly original?
The answer, I think, lies not with its story but with its execution. The gorgeous, ethereal cinamatography by Conrad Hall, the wonderful precussive score by Thomas Newman, the wildly orginal editing, and above all the stunning performances by its top-calibre cast.
Kevin Spacey is brilliant here, creating a character that is both believable and yet incredibly charismatic. As his wife, Annette Bening finally redeems herself for every performance she's given since "The Grifters." Her portrayal of a hysterical corrupted soul is both terrifying and sympathetic. Thora Birch seems ready to take the mantle from Martha Plympton and Christina Ricci as cinema's pet crucible of female adolescent angst.
The beauty of "American Beauty" is that it manages to turn a stale and reheated story into a meditation on the nature of life and death. That in a way is a far more profound achievement than turning a discarded plastic bag into a symbol of the purity of nature.