Brief forays into the world of ciao from dooyoo...
Will ciao hook me too?
Watch this space!
Brief forays into the world of ciao from dooyoo...
Will ciao hook me too?
Watch this space!
Member since:10.09.2000
Reviews:26
Members who trust:12
I hesitated long over the Blockbuster shelves, but in the end the rave reviews I'd read won over the fact that I *hate* violent movies and this one was rated as having "occasional strong violence". In practice, having seen it, this is not at all what I'd class as a violent movie......!
It's hard to know quite what to say about this movie - original for sure....I've never seen anything quite like it, and it *is* refreshing to find something with a relatively original storyline which pulls it off successfully in terms of the acting and cinematography.
Unlike many viewers, I would not rate "American Beauty" particularly highly as an artistic offering (for that watch Romeo and Juliet, or some of the older French cinema!) but that's my view, and it doesn't damage my appreciation for the movie itself and the way the themes are portrayed. The main artistic content concentrates around the son of Lester's new neighbour, Ricky (played by Wes Bentley) who is obsessed by art, life, drugs and videoing - especially Lester's angst-ridden daughter Jane (Thora Birch)
To see this purely as a midlife crisis movie is to miss the point - it *is* that, but much more a comment on contemporary American society. I find it hard to imagine this working quite as well in a British setting, but in the middle class American setting it's in, it's perfect and a disturbing commentary.
From the obsessive housewife Carolyn (Anette Bening) to the nubile cheerleaders and beyond, these are characters right out of America's Dream..but with a very bitter twist. Interesting that the director, Mendes, is a Brit - maybe this gives him enough critical distance from the subject matter to be able to give this disturbing new spin on it?
My guess is that this is a movie you'll find it hard to forget after the video stops rolling, and it's one of the very few I've cried through the end credits of!
This is a tragedy (masquerading as a comedy?)in so many ways, utterly preventable and yet totally inexorable.....and surprisingly unpredictable, to the point that at least one of the dooyoo opinions I read on it *totally* missed the point!
From the beginning you know that Lester Burnham (Spacey's character) is doomed (or is he?!) or to be more precise, that he will die in a short space of time, but who will kill him? Watch the action unfold...
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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
Great opinion... you have a nice style... one thing not many people know is that theres a hidden twist at the end & infact its not who everyone thinks it is. Cheers Graham
p.s. I only know this because I saw an interview with the writers
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: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Look closer at the most talked about film of the year. A funny, moving and shocking ... more
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
this funny moving and shocking journey through life in suburban America follows the trials and tribulations of Lester (Kevin Spacey) and Carolyn (Annette Bening) ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![American Beauty [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78526734.jpg "American Beauty [DVD] [2000]")
Mar 22nd, 2001
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