The Beauty of change. A beautiful film.

Rating: 10/10 (21 February 2007)

I saw American Beauty in the theater long before the "award season" buzz and accolades from the Academy stamped the film as an elite achievement. I came away from that evening knowing I had seen something special. A slice of American cinema that was as tender and caring as it was dark and disturbing (but in a good way). It takes the suburban family and turns it on its head. And in doing so, makes us think about the inescapable need for change.
This film chronicles the life of an unhappy, middle-aged man. He has a dead end job, a loveless marriage and a teenage daughter who hates him. He is a nobody. He apologizes when a party guest doesn't remember him. "I wouldn't remember me, either." Not many of us would. He is at a crossroad in his life. But, unlike many of us, he takes a turn.
In what can only be termed a mid-life crisis, he quits his job, buys an expensive little roadster, begins working out and smoking pot (thanks in no small part to the new neighbor's entrepreneur son). He begins to feel more confident, in some respects because he has decided he has nothing left to lose. While we do not always agree with his methods, as an audience, we applaud his motives. He is desperate for change. We relish his transformation as the movie progresses.
Kevin Spacey is one those actors that can make a movie worth seeing. The passion he brings to each role is refreshing. He can be dominating, even overbearing, yet reserved and endearing. And he is a wonderful story teller. It is no coincidence that his two Academy Award winning roles were The Usual Suspects and American Beauty. Those stories are his stories. He leads us on journeys where we are anxious to get to the next chapter. We follow his lead.
The fact that this film is Sam Mendes' first feature film is a tremendous achievement. In the coming years, he will make some good films, but nothing the caliber of American Beauty. The use of shadow and light is expertly done. Dream sequences, which can seem absurd if not pulled off right, add a sensual layer to the film. No one will forget the scene of the plastic bag fluttering in the wind. Though, as an audience, we give credit for that beautiful scene to Wes Bentley, Mendes did direct it. There are a lot of subtle scenes like that which only add to the excellence of this movie.
The best quality of American Beauty is that most of the characters seem to be in a better place at the end of the film than they are at the beginning. A couple characters are not, and their inability to change leads to the downfall of others. While this movie is not exactly uplifting, it leaves us believing that in the midst of transition and upheaval positive change can come. We do not see a lot of positive change through a bulk of this film. But the last moments leave us with a sense of serenity, amid chaos. A perfect combination of joy and loss. These themes are woven into this film in a way that at times makes no sense. Such colliding emotions cannot possibly co-exist. Until you step back and appreciate the entire creation. The realization becomes clear. Amid the ecstasy and pain, love and hate, American Beauty is a truly beautiful film.