A Beauty of a Film

Rating: Null/10 (19 March 2002)

They say it's hard to write about something you like a lot. Well, I'm gonna try.
This film is really a rare gem, a film where the jury is out: a big hit with audiences and critics alike. I mean, let's face it, a lot of decent films find favor either with audiences or critics - seldom with both.
AMERICAN BEAUTY is unabashedly honest and has a script to die for. I found its handling of sexuality to be forthright and very tasteful at the same time. Kevin Spacey delivers - he's oh so easy to identify with, and is a real hoot, to boot. The script really allows him and the other players a lot of latitude in making their characters transparent and believable.
The casting seems perfect, and the acting is uniformly good. Aside from the obvious kudos to Spacey's bravura performance, Chris Cooper's contribution in the tricky, difficult part of Colonel Fitts is notable as well. Cooper is one of the greatest and most underrated American actors. He deserves more leading roles - one of his best appearances was in John Sayles' 1987 film MATEWAN. Wes Bentley as Ricky Fitts is also worth mentioning. I empathized quite a bit with his outlook on life.
I saw it for the first time alone in the beautiful Tuchinsky Theater in Amsterdam, and it was an incredible experience - I hadn't had that much fun and inspiration at the movies in a long time. Also, seeing it in Amsterdam did enhance appreciation for certain finer elements of the pot... uh, I mean plot.
I suppose that some people will take issue with the fact that the film isn't completely realistic. Indeed some characters, particularly Lester and Ricky are larger than life, but then that is a significant part of their appeal, and part of the intrepid brilliance of the film as a whole. They do some things that some of us only dream of doing, but there's enough of them that's similar to us to make us like them immensely, and take a moment to reflect on what makes our lives worth living.
I can't wait to see Sam Mendes' next films: ROAD TO PERDITION and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.