Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Rating: 10/10 (11 October 1999)

American Beauty appears to be the best movie of 1999 and secures a place for Kevin Spacey into the ranks DeNiro, Nicholson, Keitel, Pitt, and Cruise as one of the greatest actors alive. The movie is near flawless in direction, acting, cinematography, pace, writting, charecter development, entertainment value, and accuracy. Kevin Spacey has the performance of his career and yet it is equalled by the brilliant acting of several others most noticably newcomer Wes Bentley and sexy young Thora Birch. The movie portrays suburban America better then anything I've ever seen and manages to be funny, dark, dramatic, violent, and sad. A virtual roller coaster of a movie that flows perfectly between scenes that are on all opposites of the emotional spectrum. The flow from a dinner scene where Kevin Spacey explodes with rage is hilarious smoothly into the next scene of Thora Birch teaching Wes Bentley about beauty thats dramatic, and finally into a violent confrontation between Bentley and his on-screen military father. The filming of it goes hand in hand with the marvelous directing. The theme of each person seeking out what is beautiful to him or her also teaches the drawbacks to finding it. Spacey does a hilarious and convincing stoned seen. And I'll never be able to get the image of him lifting weights and smoking weed out of my head. I'd like to see Kevin Spacey from Se7en argue with Kevin Spacey from this. (Kevin Spacey in Se7en believed that the whole world is ugly and horrible) (Kevin Spacey in this believe there is beauty in everything) They could each have a partner in the argument too. Morgan Freeman for Se7en Sapcey and Wes Bently for American Spacey.
There is possibly a bit too much drama in it and I could see how some people would say there's nothing mystical about a bag floating on air, there's no deeper meaning, just as there is no deeper meaning to life or anything else into the universe. To think other wise is to believe in a religon of nature, and would be reading too much into a bag floating on air. This movie is kind of too optimistic. But the movie knows that by telling the veiwer the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, to each his own. I would'nt blame anyone for changing their philosophy on life a little after seeing this. Even though changing your life because of a movie is kind of shallow and self defeating in this case. Director Sam Mendes has a good future if continues to direct like this and continues to get such performances from his actors and actresses. Annette Benning, Mena Suvara, and Chris Cooper make the absolute most out of their roles and do more then an ample job at it. This movie has more charecter depth then any movie I have ever seen. You can see how each charecter is multi faceted, and has a personality, and their basic charecter flaws, and how each charecter percieves the world in more then just one way. Each charecter can be seen to have multiple emotions running through them all at the same time, like in real life. When they are angry they aren't just angry, they are angry and scared and happy and sad all at the same time. With the exception of Wes Bentleys mom who seems to be the creepiest person in movie history. And it's not often I use the word creepy. Plus many small details are paid attention to in the movie. Like the poster in Spacey's garage of the pot leaf and colors. Posters such as that are usually a staple of any free whelling pot smoker. The messy garage with shelves cluttered with junk is a part of suburban Americana. The way Annette Benning treats her couch is how lot of people are about couches, again Kevin Spacey's first scene of being stoned is truly perfect. PERFECT. He must have really smoked weed to get it so perfect. Just as perfect as the stoned performances of Cheech and Chong during the first thirty minutes of Up In Smoke. So accurate it doesn't even seem like acting. My only problem with this movie is where to rank it on my all time best. Because while it does weigh up to such movies as Reservoir Dogs and The Wild Bunch which are at the very top of my list, it doesn't seem to hold a candle to movies like American History X, or Taxi Driver which are a little lower. But all in all it is a breath taking picture worthy of a slew of Oscars and quite possibly could be one of the best peices of cinema since Citizen Kane. As for me I give it a definate 10 out of 10. And I've seen it three times including opening night.