American Beauty is a beaut!

Rating: Null/10 (21 October 1999)

Sam Mendes, the 34 year old director of this movie, is noted for his stage work but had never directed a film until American Beauty. He has gotten some terrific acting out of his talented cast. If there are not a few Oscars handed out next year, then the Academy should pack up and go home (I suppose there are some who already believe they should). Like Blue Velvet and a few other similarly themed movies, American Beauty exposes the facade behind the American dream. I have a feeling that many who will see this film will doubt that such "goings on" could occur in such "nice" suburban homes. Well, I have just seen a special on Frontline on PBS about a large group of teenagers in an affluent suburb of Atlanta. Their foray into group sex and drugs makes the events of American Beauty look like Mary Poppins by comparison! Don't let those beautiful houses with their neat lawns and outwardly smiling occupants fool you. To quote the famous line from Cold Comfort Farm; "there's something nasty in the woodshed!"
The familiar actors in the movie, which include Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Peter Gallagher and Chris Cooper, are augmented by some very talented unknowns. I was especially impressed with Thora Birch, who plays the teenaged daughter of the Spacey and Bening characters. But then, Mr. Mendes has gotten excellent performances out of everyone. If I have any reservation at all about any of the actors, it would be that he has gotten too much performance out of Ms. Bening. I found her histrionics to be a bit over-the-top. I am a Bening fan and have loved her in her other films, but I thought she went "above and beyond" here.
I have seen this film twice. The first time was with relatives during a recent trip to Connecticut. The second time was with a good friend who thought it was one of the best he'd seen in a long while. I thought long and hard about American Beauty before submitting this review and concluded that I was incorrect about a few initial reservations that I had, which I changed my mind about as a result of the second viewing. This darkly comic movie, which hits home on several levels, is one that you should see. It will make you laugh, it will make you cringe and it will make you think!