Have I Missed Something?

Rating: Null/10 (27 March 2000)

Fresh from the Oscars could someone please explain why American beauty has been voted the top 2 film of all time because 2 weeks after seeing it at the cinema, I feel I've missed the point. This film is supposed to be a portyal of American surbubia. Well if that's the case and is supposed to be a true reflection, then the only conclusion I can make is that America is one f****d up society. I would be furious if I was a surbubian American watching this movie.
I would find it offensive and full of stereotypes, yet by reading some of the other user comments, it seems that the yanks are the ones who are giving this film the most praise. You have a middle aged man who is fantasising about having sex with his daughters best friend, a SCHOOLGIRL. I mean how immoral and perverted is THAT. Lester should have known better. I found his fascination and sex scene with Mena Survari not only sick and upsetting but very disturbing. I'm sure some mothers at the cinema who have young teenage daughters were livid. The fact that he was suckered by a teenagers silly provocation just proves how perverted Lester is. I mean this girl knows absolutely nothing about love or sex yet Lester took blatant advantage of her. Was I the only person to notice this??? Fantasy is one thing, but trying to have sex with a schoolgirl is another. How an earth can he, (the writers, director and the studio) justify this, allowing this whole infactuation to take place. Would they like a middle aged suburbian man to try it on with their 16 year old daughter? I think not. It takes me back to a quote said (ironically) by Satan, in the Devils Advocate,"Look but Don't touch", "Touch But Don't Taste", "Taste but don't swallow" and when it comes to middle aged men and schoolgirls, I think this is sound advice
I could identify more with the ex-marine (Colonel Fitts) than Lester (at least he had an excuse. What was Lesters?). Honestly, is this what Americans like to see. Middle aged men fantasising about schoolgirls. This is the stuff peodophiles are made of. That aside I thought American Beauty was pretty good but no way near as good as to vote it the top 2 movie of all time. Better than THREE KINGS?????!!!! It had good direction by Sam Mendes and cinematography, but Kevin Spacey as best actor??? He has a boring monotone voice with no variation whatsoever. He sounds like Fox Mulder. He was the same in the Usual Suspects AND the Negotiator and he rarely manages a smile. Annette Benning (although annoying) showed far more variety and effort in her performance. At least you can tell she was acting (I can't with Spacey). Spacey's performance was nothing special and the fact that he won best actor just confirms how insignificant the OSCARS really are. I don't need to see Russell Crowe or Denzel Washington with a gold statue in their hand to know that their respective performances in the Insider and the Hurricaine were FAR better than Spaceys. I even thought Michael Clarke Duncan put in a better performance in the Green Mile than Spacey in American Beauty. In fact, i don't think Spacey was acting at all. Its as if he had come to work without his suit He was almost like a Robot, uninterested and without a care in the world. The best performances were by the Kids, Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) and Thora Birch. I liked Ricky's charachter.
Overall American Beauty is a pretty average film, but full of cliches and stereotypes. Middle aged man going through a crisis, unhappy wife, unhappy daughter, sexually fustrated wife, weird neighbours, dopeheads, wife and kid don't appreciate me, kid embarrassed by me (what teenager isn't embarrassed by their parents), best friend thinks she's miss world, i'm a teenage girl who thinks I'm fat and ugly blah blah blah blah blah. Really, are all Americans like this? I mean we've heard it all before. We didn't need a film to highlight what goes on in peoples minds evey day, not just in the US, but in the UK too.

The fact that AMERICAN BEAUTY won best picture, best actor and best writer (anyone can write about their family and their neigbours and it would be on a par with this movie) not only proves how stupid and overated the oscars are, but how immoral (and racist), they are aswell. (When was the last time a DESERVED Black or Asian actor or actress won an oscar?. Why didn't M.Night Shymalam win for best screenplay? Remember, this film is an 18 certificate (when was the last time an 18 won best picture. It is an 18 for a reason), and most of these academey members have wives and kids, yet they voted a man who's charachter nearly molests a schoolgirl, as the best performance of the year? It says alot about the Academy. Think about it.
If you want to be entertained and appreciate a far better movie with better direction and cinematography, then then go and see Three Kings.