Aestheticism and American Beauty

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 2000)

It is important to remember that depiction of "real-life" is not always the goal of an artist. Some of the best films, novels, poems, etc. of our civilization have been those that distort, exploit, or -- yes -- stereotype our everyday lives. Perhaps we all need to revisit the days of Pater and "art for art's sake". The sheer genius of American Beauty alone merits such a visitation. For the record, Thomas (not Randy) Newman's score is one of my favorites -- it's nice to know that minimalism is still alive and well.