THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER!! A SHEER MASTERPIECE!!!

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2001)

"American Beauty" was a pretty good commercial success, and obtained brilliant critical success, but many people I know just didn't get the film. Some thought it was simply overrated; others thought it was just plain bad. And that troubles me. I cannot fathom how a film of such emotional power and energy can be considered mediocre in the eyes of the normal viewer. I'm not going to call those "normal viewers" idiots--to be fair--but I will say that they definitely have to give this great film another look. And if they still don't get it, give it another look--and so on and so on and so on. Because I believe this CANNOT be regarded as a "bad" film; it can only be misunderstood. Maybe it's because the messages and morals are delivered in a subtle manner. People, in general, look at films in such a superficial manner. What they see is a middle-aged loser smoking pot and his crackpot wife who has motives to murder him. Just like the tagline says...you just have to LOOK CLOSER.
Performance-wise alone, I would regard "American Beauty" superior to any other film ever made. Kevin Spacey--who I usually love in whatever he does--gives the greatest performance of his career. I guess most viewers didn't think of it that way, because Spacey played a HUMAN BEING, and not these one-dimensional twits we're used to seeing on screen. Lester Burnham (Spacey's character) is neither a sinner, nor a saint. He has his faults, but who the hell doesn't? He's a stuck-up, white-collar suburban who hasn't done anything to take advantage of his life. He's been jerked around by his bosses and his demanding wife. In the masturbation scene--which people so rudely took out of context in a scatological manner--Lester explains that his time in the shower is the most exciting point of his day, and it all goes downhill from there. He explains, in his vivid narration, that his life is completely pointless and masturbation is the only activity that even closely rebels him from society. You start to really feel how pathetic this man is. And I liked the scene where we're introduced to Jane (the daughter). Lester narrates that he can reveal to her that all that teenage angst that experiences on a daily basis will all come to an end, but he "doesn't want to lie to her." That's how brutally honest this film proves to be! You would never hear a line like that in any other movie. "American Beauty" really really tells it like it is.
A movie like this has no genre. It's a dead-on character study about reality. Reality has no genre. People basically classify this as a drama, but it has other elements mixed in. I liked the comic elements, some of which are funnier than I've seen in most straight comedies. For example, the scene at the drive-thru. Lester catches Carolyn (his wife) smooching with the "Real Estate King" Buddy, who she has been cheating with behind his back. Of course, she wasn't aware that he just got a job at Mr. Smiley's. He appears at the drive-thru window with a happy-go-lucky grin, saying "Welcome to Mr. Smiley's." There's none of that predictable quarrel you would expect in a scene like this. Instead, Lester firmly tells his wife not to bother him about his faults, since she has faults of her own. Then he shifts back into happy-go-lucky mode and says "Would you like Smiley sauce with that?" I think the way they handled that scene was what made it so special. That's what makes the whole movie special. It rebels against all cliches, all stereotypes, all predictability.
I also have to give a hand to Mena Suvari, who plays the ditsy cheerleader Angela who Lester lusts after. She gives us the ditsy characteristics, but never overplays it. Let's face it, there are ditsy girls like her in the world who think they are better than everyone else. I'm sure all the females reading this are nodding their heads right now. So I didn't think she in any way fell into the ditsy blonde stereotype. And I liked the little surprise at the end, when Lester comes face-to-face with her late at night.
"American Beauty" is a film that works on both levels, the entertainment level AND the artistic level. This isn't one of those ultra-artsy pieces that you only expect major critics to go in for. This is an entertaining film that is artistic in the way it studies everyday life. The whole film has a universal message. Though your family may not DIRECTLY relate to the Burnhams there is some moral that you should get after seeing their behaviors. Their behaviors are so true to life it's frightening. Alan Ball and Sam Mendes could've went through the standard route and portrayed each character as the standard stuck-up, morally correct suburbanites out of a "Leave it to Beaver" episode. Guess what? That's not how it's like. The Burnhams are middle-class citizens, but does that mean they do everything right? I think the dinner table conversations do a great job at mirroring how a family of this kind would really act. And Sam Mendes does a terrific job at directing the scene by displaying a wide shot of the family in the dining room, while boring elevator music plays in the background, perfectly expressing the mood. Then we slow zoom on the family as the conversation progresses, again expressing the mood perfectly. And watch how frank Lester's dialogue is. In the scene after he quits his job, he tells his wife and daughter: "Today I told my boss to go f**k himself. Pass the asparagus." He just blurts it out so casually. And he does that throughout the whole movie. I'm sure any dysfunctional family can relate to Lester's actions and will probably get scared after seeing how real it looks.
By the end of the movie, everything pieces together perfectly. This is a film that ACTUALLY makes you think, and makes you think hard. And if you're with someone, you can spark long conversations about the major themes. If you look at this movie on the surface, it's hard to regard it as a masterpiece. I'm sure many think I'm exaggerating when saying this is the best movie OF ALL TIME, but I really think so. No other film has had this much power over me. There's lots of stimulating visuals, yet this is no "Star Wars." There's no spaceships crash-landing on Earth, no aliens exploding. But do really need such massive special f/x to make a great film? No, we don't. And "American Beauty" proves that point. This film had the biggest impact on me with its sheer emotional power--which was delilvered through brillaintly original, honest, unpretentious writing, powerful directing and unforgettable performances.
P.S.: I also give credit to Wes Bentley, a terrific young actor who I desperately hope to see in many more movies. He adds great substance to his acting, and he has those deep, dark eyes that he uses to express emotion without even saying a word of dialogue. He's a great talent, in all aspects. Also, Chris Cooper--a very underrated actor--is terrific as usual. I think both him and Wes deserved supporting Oscars.