Smart, Subversive, Contrived, and Forever Open for Debate

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2003)

"American Beauty" is one of those rare and audacious films that begs the question, "what defines art?" I don't think there is a film that received better pre-release hype, more overwhelming praise when it was released, and more cries of "FINALLY!" when it swept the Oscars. Yet it has spawned some of the most heated backlash of any film in recent memory. Does the fact that it has created so much debate make it art? Maybe.

This is a film that subverts the traditional American ideal of suburban life. The moments of "conversation" at the dinner table are both the most horrific and funniest moments ever put to film. They resonate at both ends of the spectrum because they ring so true. Who hasn't been a part of or witnessed such tantrums at the dinner table, a place where families are supposed to connect and rejoice in their everyday life? Does this type of subversion define art? Maybe.
This is a film that was very deliberate in its direction. Plastic bags and rose petals have never been more beautifully shot, or more pretentious. Suburban streets have never looked this good, and white picket fences never whiter. But again, there's something crackling under the veneer, both of this film, and of the life it depicts. Is this what art is supposed to do? I think so.
The performances are phenomenal from Spacey and Benning. The script is ultra smart and ultra clever, but in the end probably too contrived. Was the message of the film that our "American dream" is also too contrived, just like this movie? Or was the message that even suburban schmucks like Lester Burnham deserve a chance to live out an authentic life of their own choosing? We may never know. I actually think that twenty or thirty years from now this movie will be looked upon as one of the all time greats by critics, with the then modern-day audiences perplexed and asking, "why?" That, my friends, is art.