Not Oscar Winning Material

Rating: 4/10 (6 November 2001)

I have been wary of high profile Oscar winning movies ever since Kramer vs Kramer and Ordinary People. America Beauty joins that group, very disappointing if you are looking for something special. There was plenty to think about (for your average 40 year old guy) - would I do those things, would I act like that - DO I act like that?? The themes took me back to high school English classes and that was quite good fun, but it was very much a movie of the onlooker, watching the "roses falling" scene; I was thinking - how did they do that? - I never became involved and sadly, the humour was too obviously subtle to do more than play with your emotions, in fact the whole movie was a bit like that - play on several levels but nothing to tip over into emotional connection with anything or anyone.