Her friend, Mena Suvari... you remember the girl from AMERICAN PIE that was in Choir... who plays the oh so cute and beautiful cheerleader that lights up and ignites Kevin Spacey to live again. This is one of the most frightening portraits of a young girl that has completely fooled herself into a psychotic state of self-importance. Her own importance is measured by her desirability to others. If others want to fuck her... well that means she’s beautiful. And of course there is nothing worse than being plain.
My god it’s a sad statement. But wait... there are other great characters.
The best, yet sickest, father / son relationship I’ve seen in film in a good long while exists between Chris Cooper and Wes Bentley. Chris Cooper plays a retired military Colonel that is intolerant of any and all other lifestyles. He wants his son to be a manly man... Willing to fight back and kick ass. He simply is not built for raising a son. He can’t accept anything other than a younger version of himself... and Wes is not that. He’s an artist, an aspiring filmmaker. He’s looking and searching for the beauty in life. Someone that studies life, be it through a window or along a sidewalk. In a back alley or atop a tree. He searches for beauty in the places people avoid. I love his character, a survivor. A person who simply exists and fights to survive. There is an exchange in the car between his father and him, where his father tells him not to pander to him like he does to his mother... and folks. If his response doesn’t just impress the hell out of you. Well... Damn I’m sorry I recommended the movie to you, but folks I was blown away.
This movie has all the power of a great personal film, yet the ironic humor of the best black comedies. The film walks a tightrope high above the tent floor without so much as a net to catch the stars if they fall. Noone falls. The movie is as solid as they come.
If what you seek in a film is great performances, complex characters, and a plotline that does not do what you think or want it to do... then this is a film up your alley.
Sam Mendes should be watched like a hawk. The idea that this is a first film is scary. Sure he has a background in theater, but this film is so boldly visual and cinematic as well as being personal and crafted that I was left gasping at some of the work I saw.
Also, the screenwriter Alan Ball should be followed. This is a tight as hell, complex character driven film that is not in any way typical or redundant. This is the sort of filmmaking I wanted to see come from DREAMWORKS. Unique personal visions given life. It’s the dream I had when they announced the formation of the company, and this is the first film I’ve seen them deliver that completely lives up to what I think a lot of people wanted to see come out of that company.
The word is Steven outbid 3 independents to get this script... Well done. Let’s see more of this sort of work come from DreamWorks. Personal Visions given the ability to flourish...
Let’s hope this isn’t the rare one that slips through the cracks, but is rather the start of a trend of filmmaking from them.
Go see this movie... There is not a single weak performance or link. It’s beautiful.