And so, EnglishPatient - as a standalone entity - is no more. This account will self-destruct within...
And so, EnglishPatient - as a standalone entity - is no more. This account will self-destruct within approximately 24 hours. I can now be found under the name of DoubleTrouble - a collaboration with fellow Ciao user Broksababe. See you there!
Member since:30.07.2000
Reviews:132
Members who trust:59
The poster for Sam Mendes' multi Oscar-winning film was as eye-catching as it was appropriate. Minimalist by anyone's standards, it depicts the naked stomach of a young girl, her delicate right hand gently pressing a blood-red rose to her skin, with the words "...look closer" superimposed above it.
For looking is the theme running through American Beauty. From first-person perspectives, from behind windows, on the small screen of a portable mini camcorder - or a combination of any of these - Mendes straddles the fine line between probing and voyeurism, between watching and studying.
The rose is significant for a number of reasons, all of them symbolic. Surreal, graceful dream sequences strewn with petals crop up at regular intervals, ever-so-subtly mixing with the unnaturally subdued tone. Indeed, the colour red is used in a similar way as it was in The Sixth Sense, as a visual motif signposting key elements and moments in the film.
The film begins with an unsettling conversation between a young woman and an unidentified person. She is talking to the hand-held camera, as it tries to focus on her, about her father. "Do you want me to kill him?" enquires the unseen figure, quite calmly and matter-of-factly. "Yes, I want you to kill him" the girl replies, leaning forward to the lens and staring it down. Cut to the opening credits.
It's a teasing introduction, since it simultaneously has everything to do with the rest of the film, and yet also nothing at all. The intention is surely to mislead, to pique the audience's curiosity. American Beauty takes pleasure in appearing to reveal everything to the viewer, down to each character's most intimate and personal details, before pulling the rug from underneath our feet when we least expect it. Whatever is shown, "look closer" for clues to the truth, the film seems to be saying.
Kevin Spacey has long become a by-word for real quality, but even he excels himself here. Never allowing his complex, ill-fated Lester Burnham to become a caricature or cliche, Spacey finds the heart of Burnham and creates a perfectly believable and empathetic man. A far cry from the obsessive, lecherous figure I was perhaps expecting.
Annette Bening struck a slightly off-key note as the career-driven wife with a loosening grip on her sanity. While many times the film offers brief but telling glimpses into the hidden desperation of her plight, too often Bening resorts to histrionics which are possibly beyond the call of duty. If not, then the role itself is slightly flawed.
The other protaganists are uniformly excellent - Chris Cooper's worryingly unhinged former Army General, and his equally disconcerting son (Wes Bentley) proving especially memorable. Thora Birch also brings a depth and perfectlly judged sullenness to an otherwise potentially underwritten character.
Probably the most talked-about performance in the immediate aftermath of the film's release was that of Mena Suvari. And rightly so. A relative unknown at the time, she has since confirmed her dazzling - and pivotal - contribution to American Beauty was not a one-off.
There is an engrossing quality to the manner in which the story is deftly constructed while at the same time carefully taken apart piece by piece. The eventual outcome is known from very early in the movie, but this ultimately matters little.
Dysfunction is rife, but American Beauty's skill is in the way it still holds our complete attention, through a disturbing but strangely comforting celebration of existence.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2007 - Drama - Director: Mike Binder - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Mike Binder
Production Year: 1998 - Drama - Director: Carl Franklyn, Carl Franklin - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott, Nicky Katt, Lauren Graham
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
I love the film and I love your analysis of it. This is an astonishingly well-written piece. Thank you!
james.bridgeman 23.01.2001 23:37
Hi,
I was about to write everything I loved about this revolutionary film which proved that Hollywod could be intelligent; I don't think I need to now. You've written a great review here, although I strongly disagree on the Annette Bening part: I felt she played the role, surely the most difficult in the film, superbly.
Only one more thing: I would add that Wes Bently is the major discovery of this movie (apart from Mendes, of course).
Great stuff; cheers.
james.bridgeman
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a mesmerising confidence and acuity epitomised by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine...
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journey through life in suburban America.Look closer at fortysomething ad man Lester Burnham and his status-seeking wife, Carolyn, as their marriage and lives slowly un...
From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street,American Beautymoves with ... more
a mesmerising confidence and acuity epitomised by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Marking the feature film directorial debut of award-winning theatre director Sam Mendes ... more
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![American Beauty [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78526734.jpg "American Beauty [DVD] [2000]")
Jan 22nd, 2001
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