Movie of a lifetime......

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2000)

With all the hype and word of mouth surrounding this movie it would have been very easy to have gone to see it and then said 'It wasn't as good as everyone made out'. The fact is though, that it actually is, and on a personal level, possibly even better than that. What makes the movie so memorable, above the actual film, was the experience and understanding that this movie is about us. Not many movies can boast that but it was a movie that we can all relate to and all empathise with.
Look Closer, was the tagline for the movie and that is what is needed to experience this film in its true beauty. As well as the surface material which we see on the screenthere is always so much more going on outside of the action. There is such a continuos motion and speed to the movie that never lets up and this is what life basically is. It keeps going and going and before we know it we have lost so much time. Its the story of an (approaching) middle aged man who realises that he has wasted the last twenty years of his life and so decides that he is going to rectify his mistake and live the way he used to. That is the the story of the central character (Spacey), but what makes this movie so captivating is the numerous subplots which closely link to Spacey and his family. The subplots are not merely drawn in at the beginning of the movie and then resolved at the end. Instead they pop up throughout various stages and then are resolved on a natural timeline. The film cannot be sub-genred, it is far too detailed and unique for it to ever be labelled as a family-drama, or a black-comedy. The thing that the movie most closely represents is a soap-opera. However, should American Beauty and its story be put into a soap it would take a good 4 weeks or so to wrap up everything that happens. That is the films main strength, it does not lose itself amidst the mass of story which is taking place. The action is very sudden and the timescale realistic. Before you know it the end is upon you. The cast is fairly impeccable. Spacey can always be relied upon to give a solid performance, but this is his best work, probably ever. He illuminates off the screen and empowers every scene he is in. They say that the hardest roles to play are normal people and that is where the triumph is. He makes a normal person seem very real. Annette Benning plays off Spacey so well and leaves us wondering whether they are actually married. Chriss Cooper has a small but perfectly acted role and then there are the youngsters. Mena Suvari and Thora Birch play off each other with great naturalism and make their relationship very emotive. Then there is wes Bentley, a relative new-comer but a definite star for the future. His role maybe a close representation of him but the beauty he brings to the film is worth the two hours alone.
Look Closer but by all means just look.