an above average, but unfocused, movie

Rating: 6/10 (11 October 1999)

When I stepped into the theater to see American Beauty, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. Whenever a large mass of people urges me to run to the theater and view a film, my first instinct is to run in the other direction. For this particular film, I resisted the urge. I must say I'm glad I did.
A synopsis of the film can be found in others' comments. Hence, I will forego the summary and cut to the chase. American Beauty is only moderately Beautiful. The film is not a profound comment on American society. Neither is it a well-focused, original piece of art. What American Beauty is, however, is a collection of beautifully wrought moments created by the union of actor and director.
Listening to the words of the film, one feels that the writer is trying to tell several stories at once. Sure, this kind of writing can pull awe from any audience, of the wow-I-can't- believe-he-got-so-many-things-into-one-movie variety, but the same can be said for special effects artists who manage to effect a bridge explosion and a monster's foot in the same movie. As audience members, do we seek breadth or depth?
If you seek breadth, this movie is right up your alley. Not only does it tackle unhappiness in the workplace, it ties it in with marital degeneration, gays in the military, drug dealing, teenage sex/high school angst, and sexual power, but it ties it all together with the uber-concept of "Beauty." It's a pity that all these cliches don't add up to some larger "whole" that communicates something to the viewer. Indeed, the attempt to do this seems harried and last-minute.
There are some good moments, as I said. Annette Bening and Kevin Spacey are superb, and the teen actors do a wonderful job of fulfilling the roles simply, without Hollywood "emotion." For all the good acting and good direction, though, I wasn't watching a movie; I was simply eating a "scene salad."