I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
Member since:26.04.2001
Reviews:115
Members who trust:53
Introduction ~~
Set in a small suburban town in America, American Beauty is about the lives of what appear to be normal and ordinary people from the outside except are quite far from that in reality. The story focuses around Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) Lester Burnham superbly played by Spacey begins his “mid-life crisis” as he slowly descends into a life of soft drugs, fast cars and a taste for younger women though achieved by all this is a greater emotional intelligence and a delicate, fractured f****d-up web begins to slowly unravel.
Look Closer
Story ~~
The story to American Beauty is full of twists and turns and is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat. Though American Beauty could have been just any standard Hollywood flick if it wasn’t for the excellent direction of Sam Mendes. Mendes directs
American Beauty in a unique style that makes this film so unlike any other Hollywood movie. It seems refreshing to see a film come out of Hollywood except be so unlike Hollywood. So how is this film different? Well for a start British director Sam Mendes tells us the ending of the film at the beginning of the film – something that is a rare occurrence in the movie world. Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) is introduced into American Beauty as quite frankly a weirdo, obsessed with filming people and things 24 hours a day he is seen by most as a mental person. Even rumours fly about him being sent to a mental hospital. Though Jane Burnham (Thora Birch) gradually becomes close with Ricky and we see another side to him. We then see a third side to him, that he is a drug dealer. He has a huge stash of cannabis hidden beneath draws in his room, this illegal business proves quite profitable for him. And “mid-life crisis” Lester Burnham slowly becomes a valuable customer of Ricky. Ricky’s father; Colonel Frank Fitts a homophobic, army-loving nationalist hugely opposes to Ricky’s taste for cannabis and goes to the lengths of taking urine samples to ensure he is “clean.” The twist in the tale however revolves around Colonel Frank Fitts and his unusual behaviour; the twist for Colonel Frank Fitts though is simply education.
Look Closer
Cast ~~
The cast in American Beauty is brilliant; there is no weak link. Spacey and Bening are good as Mr. & Mrs. Burnham and give strong, powerful performances. Thora Birch gives a dark but realistic performance as the Burnham’s daughter Jane. Wes Bentley gives a brilliant performance as Ricky, he plays a difficult character and excels. Chris Cooper gives a very bold performance as Colonel Frank Fitts, who plays a fairly small part in the film but has a significant role in the film. Overall the cast to American Beauty is a strong one and the acting quality is fantastic.
Look Closer
Soundtrack ~~
The American Beauty soundtrack is superb, then again so is the score. Two pieces on the soundtrack album are wrote by Thomas Newman, the rest of the soundtrack is well chosen and sets the scene very well. Unfortunately none of the score is on the soundtrack album and the score is only available on import. Though you can download tracks from the superb score from Audiogalaxy. (http://www.audiogalaxy.com)
Look Closer
Overall ~~
Okay well if you haven’t seen American Beauty you are probably wondering what all of this “look closer” nonsense is about. Well “look closer” is the films tagline and I hope my review has so far made you realize why, if not you will understand once you have seen the film. Films like this are rare, rarely do films have such truth and reality but still have some humorous moments. It is easy to tell that director Sam Mendes has traditionally worked in theatre, as he seems to direct the film like a play, the way everything flows. Overall a film I hugely recommend, American Beauty has worked its way into my top 10 of films. (Number 1 is Dazed and Confused if you wondered.)
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I am fan of movies and of Kevin Spacey, so i didn't miss it of course !!!
scope-matthi 09.12.2001 10:45
Best film I've ever seen - "Mein neues Ich holt sich einen runter, wenns geil ist!" - best sentence in a film I've ever heard. Best opinion I've ever read. Matthi N.
mrpaella 08.12.2001 21:04
Thanks for the update. What do you think of Sam Mendes' new romance with Kate Winslet?...Paul
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...
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
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...
![American Beauty [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78526734.jpg "American Beauty [DVD] [2000]")
Jul 29th, 2001
(Dec 7th, 2001)
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