Lays Waste To Hypocrisy

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2001)

Souls are bared and individual vulnerability is exposed in this film in which the dysfunctional family becomes the norm, and a man at last confronts the fact that his life is simply not as it should be, and determines to do something about it. `American Beauty,' directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, rips the facade from a typical American family to reveal a not-so-typical family after all. Or are they? For who among us, living in this finely woven tapestry that is modern American life, can really define `typical?' Or for that matter, `normal?' In what is to be the final year of his life (though he doesn't know it), Lester Burnham (Spacey) finally acknowledges to himself that he is in a loveless marriage, has a dead end job, and has for some time (too long) been a mere observer, rather than a participant, in his own life. His wife, Carolyn (Bening), a fledgling real estate broker, disdains him, and his teenaged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), accords him nothing but disrespect. He has a new neighbor, Colonel Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper), a U.S. Marine who is the virtual embodiment of the `Corps,' with a wife, Barbara (Allison Janney), he has disciplined into a trance-like state of existence, and a teenaged son, Ricky (Wes Bentley), who sees beauty in the least likely of places.
It's a stylized, thought provoking film in which Mendes lowers the mask and raises a mirror to reflect the true nature of a society too often willing to cast the first stone while refusing to first seek out the detritus in it's own eye. Devoid of stereotypes, the characters herein represent a realistic and concise cross-section of individuals who form, not only the periphery, but the core of that very same society. And though personal experience and frame of reference will go far in determining how accepting a viewer may be of this picture of urban misalignment Mendes presents, there is no denying the reality of the attitudes and situations represented here. To deny this depiction as accurate would merely be a turning away from the truth.
Once again demonstrating that he is one of the finest actors around, Kevin Spacey deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Lester. It's a finely tuned expression of a middle-aged man, not just in crisis, but lost in soul wrenching turmoil. Many may find it difficult to sympathize to any great extent with Spacey's Lester, but regardless, they (as well as those who are able to sympathize with him) will at least be able to identify with him. For in Lester we find all of the variances and complexities that make up this journey we call life. And Spacey captures it all, from Lester's apathy and ambiguity, to the emotional peaks and valleys of his epiphany, with a truly memorable performance.
Annette Bening, also, turns in one of her best performances, for which she was nominated for Best Actress. She shines as Carolyn, a woman repressed and frustrated who hides her discontent with hyperactivity and denial, and puts on a mask of pretentiousness that is so animated at times that it's nerve-wracking to watch. But it's a great piece of acting, through which she certainly brings her character to life.
Giving a performance that demands mention, as well, is Wes Bentley, who achieves an introspective depth with his character that establishes what a tremendous ability he has as an actor. This is one young man from whom we can expect great things in the future.
The supporting cast includes Peter Gallagher (Buddy Kane), Mena Suvari (Angela), Scott Bakula (Jim), Sam Robards (`JB'), Barry Del Sherman (Brad) and Erin Cathryn Strubbe (Young Jane). A cutting-edge character study, `American Beauty' is a probing and revealing contemporary fable that is uncompromisingly honest; probably too honest for some. It's a film that refuses to allow the viewer to take an `ignorance is bliss' stance, and instead insists on a truth that lays waste to hypocrisy and self-righteousness. For when you're forced to stare into a mirror, there is only one image you're going to see staring back; and whether or not you like what you see is going to be entirely up to you. And therein lies the real impact of this film. I rate this one 10/10.