Okay but not great

Rating: 6/10 (14 May 2000)

I was eager to see this once available on rental because I was wondering what all the fuss was about. After having seen it, I'm still wondering. At the risk of inducing a lot of indignant e-mail, I have to say that I didn't think this film was all that great. As a matter of fact, it was only somewhere between okay and good.
Admittedly, it was an effective lampoon of American culture, with the clear message that life is ironic and we need to get our priorities straight. But it was far from a defining moment in cinematic history, as has been implied in all the hype. The fact that it is rated the #2 movie of all time on the IMDb list sends me an even more frightening message about American culture than the film itself.
The film had a sardonic tone and a wry style, most certainly by design, but it was taken to excess to the point of being bizarre and cartoonish. The humor was sophomoric, the characters were more like caricatures than people and everything in the film was dreadfully clichÃ©. The story gets high marks for irreverence, but not for realism or subtlety.
The direction by Sam Mendes, other than that of the actors, was really nothing special. Other than a few vista shots, some rose petal shots and the dancing paper bag, it was visually pretty mundane. It was also structurally unsound as a first person narrative. The narrative format is from the speaker's perspective and implicitly must limit itself to events the speaker experienced directly or of which he had indirect knowledge. The film included numerous scenes and conversations of which Lester could not possibly have had any knowledge by the end of the film. That's just sloppy storytelling.
The one area where this film shines is the acting. Though I don't agree with the character interpretations, the character presentations were superb. Kevin Spacey was fantastic as Lester. He got better as the movie progressed as he was allowed to break out of his caricature. Annette Benning was not allowed that luxury, but played the fanatical yuppie role to the hilt. Thora Birch as daughter Jane had the good fortune of playing the only realistic character in the entire movie. She was quite impressive, playing the part with a sensitivity and poise belying her experience as an actress.
This was a decent film, no more, no less. There were so many excellent films in 1999, that it is hard for me to understand this film's mass appeal. Perhaps we have become so overwrought as a society that this film struck a chord. That is decidedly to its credit, but it doesn't make it a great film. I rate it a 6/10. A huge disappointment.