Beautiful but not THAT great

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2000)

This is a good movie, but I don't think it was as great as some people said(or insisted?). It looks closely at the 'dirt' underneath what seems like a peaceful and normal situation. The premise of the story is hardly original, a middle-aged man wanting to have a life, but with his trouble family: super bitch wife Carolyn and estranged daughter, Jane, plus his lust for the temptress Angela, things got pretty ugly at the end.

What amazed me is that, they could make a great film out of this story. 'Beauty' is a extremely dark comedy, with some of the wittiest dialogue I've heard: "honey, you didn't screw up once!" still cracks me up! It's really moving, too. Sometimes it can be scary to see the truth going on out there, other times it's just plain pathetic (sex obsessed cheerleader, anyone?) Visually it's a treat, too...who could forget the dancing plastic bag? Or Mena Suvari lying naked in a bed of roses?
I cannot fault a single performance. Spacey and Bening were absolutely 'believable', while the young supporting casts get a well deserved big break for them. Congratulations especially to Thora Birch, who portrayed Jane wonderfully.
This movie deserved it's Oscars, and I think it got enough. Like I said, it's pretty good but not great. It's not for everyone, but worth your money. A quote from Birch: " I don't know why American audiences responded to it so much. It's such a harsh reflection on themselves." Now I do agree with that.