A Phony Film

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2000)

In the words of Holden Caulfield, this film is phony.
American Beauty is a Hollywood film, so it comes as no surprise that the film is full of cliches and under-written characters. What is surprising is the hype surrounding this film. It simply doesn't live up to expectations.
How exactly is the film tragic or comedic (actually, it's supposed to be both)? Lester may be a pathetic figure but he is not tragic. After all, he can (he tells us) do whatever he wants. Where is the tragedy in that? His death, of which we are informed just seconds into the film, is not tragic because he tells us at the beginning that he feels dead already. So where's the tragedy when his death finally arrives? Furthermore, where's the comedy? Are we supposed to laugh when he quits his job and starts doing drugs? Stupid maybe, but definitely not funny.
And what is the function of the plastic bag swirling in the wind? This scene is supposed to represent beauty. Maybe it is beautiful - who am I to say? - but how does it relate to who the characters are and where they are trying to go? I think the plastic bag is intended to divert viewers' attention away from the shortcomings of the film. We are supposed to think "what beauty, how exquisite", not how this image has no relationship with any of the characters. Presumably the roses are used for the same reason. The roses are beautiful, therefore the film must be beautiful. Wrong. The film is beautiful only if the roses are integral to the plot, not just a stylistic device. Unfortunately a stylistic device is all they are. Unless, of course, the roses represent Angela's innocence. But surely the film's makers wouldn't resort to using such a trite metaphor?
When I think of colour used for effect, I think of Kryzstof Kiewloski. But ironically his films are known for their substance more than their style. In 'Bleu", in which Julie's husband and children die early on in the film, the viewer is drawn into trying to understand what Julie is thinking and feeling. We know what an awful situation she is in. How would we react in the same situation? How does she react? She doesn't react in the way she would if she were in a Hollywood film.
American Beauty is nothing like "Bleu". In American Beauty, the characters are sketchy; we don't really know what motivates them to do what they do. We don't know what they feel (we don't even know if they are able to feel). They are like robots, who are programmed to behave in a way that someone wants them to behave. They don't have minds of their own. I am beginning to think that many of those who rave about this film have the same flaw.