Don't look too close.

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2000)

If you go and see American Beauty, please ignore the hype and try to forget anything that anybody has ever told you about it, including the (subsequent) contents of this review. If you watch the film with a relaxed and open mind, I believe that you are guaranteed to enjoy it.
Reading many of these reviews, I realise that many reviewers seem to complain that some of the themes that this film deals with are presented in a clichéd, "Hollywood", or deliberately "anti-Hollywood" fashion. I have just seen the film for the second time at the cinema tonight, having waited almost two months to see it again. My intention was to try to analyse the technical composition of the film, and view it with a neutral, uncompassionate eye. However, just as on the first viewing, the film utterly engrossed me in its story, leaving me no opportunity to specifically think about the direction, or camerawork, or any other such technicality. For me, this is incredibly impressive, and is the mark of a great film. However, the emotion that I have felt on leaving the cinema on both viewings, now, is very hard to describe. It is not true to say that the film demolishes any stereotypes or avoids any clichés, and at no point did it seem to be trying to be pompously attempting to "break the mould" (with the possible exception of certain plastic bags). However, the sheer execution of the film, especially in the fantastic acting, direction, and overall "feel" of the film is incredibly cohesive - bringing the production together into something that is utterly complete in its own right.
American Beauty appears as if it has been made with absolutely no concern to producing a film which is in any way extreme. It does not stand up to sophisticated attacks on its clichés, stereotypes, or plot-devices - and nor is it intended to. Overall, everything comes together in an admirably unpretentious way to form a film which is phenomenally engrossing and enjoyable in that it sets out to tell a simple drama, without any particular subtexts or pretences, and does so breathtakingly well.
Please go and see this film; the chances are high that absolutely anybody in a relatively open, relaxed mood will be able to be swept away by its holistic beauty. If anything, I personally attribute the phenomenal soundtrack to giving the film some of its magic, although this is obviously only part of the whole story.
I feel that there is a universal emotion conveyed by this film which should be open to everybody, but many people seem to have not been receptive to it - preferring to deconstruct it and individually criticise its components. I don't understand how people can miss the point of this film - that there IS NO POINT to get excited about; American Beauty revolves about letting yourself be open to the powerful, yet unassuming drama that it is.
Looking Closer, at least without appreciating the film as a whole, can only lead you further from understanding why a lot of people think that it deserves the Best Picture Oscar that it has attained. It is a simple, yet wondrous drama. 10 out of 10.