an adult movie in the truest sense

Rating: 10/10 (26 September 1999)

We have food, homes, toys, activities to keep us busy and yet some of us come to see that this is all meaningless, that to be really satisfied with what we have and what we do, we have to be who we really are. That is the message of American Beauty. It's a theme that has been explored before in film, sometimes beautifully (The Graduate, Grand Canyon), but nobody has done it better than Mendes in American Beauty. Through the eyes of an adult, it explores what it means to be a person--an adult man numbed by a cocoon of empty comfort, a teenage girl struggling in the depths of estrogen poisoning, a woman who has relinquished the joy of life that she had when she was first falling in love and tries to fill it by selling more houses.
American Beauty is a grand, multilayered, nuanced symphony without even one false note. Every detail felt true, both the "real" ones (the pretty,full-breasted teenager who feels so ugly that wants to have breast enlargement, the exquisite Nazi platter in the collection of a repressed, retired Marine colonel, the condescending downsizing expert that Management installs to increase the bottom line) or the more symbolic ones (the god-like view of the suburb where the action takes place, viewing the world through a digital videocamera, the recurring and fascinating use of red rose petals).
Fascinating movie, and profound, with the message that we can transcend the system we have unwittingly created for ourselves and find out and become who we are. It can be the catalytic event of saying "I quit." It can be having a 1970 red Firebird, the car we lusted after but could have only dreamed of when we were kids. Or it can be having the longstanding object of our lust in the most vulnerable possible position and backing off, showing compassion rather than taking what seemed so desirable and easy.
At its core, this is a simple plot: a man caught in a box escapes it. But how he comes to his senses, what he sees along the way, and the profound sense of fulfillment upon escaping makes this poignantly funny, darkly comedic tragedy a triumphant affirmation of life. Spacey, who was very good before, is absolutely brilliant, his subtle expressions telling volumes about his trials and transformations. If there is any justice, he'll get the Oscar for Best Actor. Bening is superb, having the courage to eschew the charismatic charm of her role in The American President to take on and ace the least attractive role of her career (even less than the one in Valmont).
There's even a question that remains unanswered to make us think long after the powerful, emotionally layered denouement: was the seductive nymphette lying about her many sexual conquests or about her virginity?
Either way, and for the sophisticated yet life-affirming message, the plotting, the cinematography, the acting and the direction, American Beauty elbows its way into my already crowded 10 Best Movies List.