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"She's
a 'Beauty'"
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| "Mena Suvari gives Kevin Spacey a wake-up call in "American Beauty'" |
Ah, the American Dream. It conjures up images of the suburbs, family, kids, a dog, two cars, a house, and a white picket fence--but word play is a funny thing. What people don't seem to realize is that the dream is just that--a dream. It doesn't exist. It is a lie, a fantasy drawn up by people looking to settle down in suburban neighborhoods that look identical from town to town. Just look around. You can't pass through a neighborhood these days without seeing the local Blockbuster, Starbuck's, or McDonald's.
People settle down in ordinary lives before they know what hit them. In this case, the outcome is devastating. Films like "Ordinary People" and "Happiness" have gone behind the closed doors of suburban households reveal the ugly truth, but make way for "American Beauty". There are not enough words to describe this picture, but those that come to mind are elegant, powerful, satirical, hilarious, liberating, explosive, shocking, sympathetic, pathetic, and, of course, beautiful. Obviously, I loved this movie!
"I used to be happy". "What happened?" "When did I lose the will to live and become a puppet to my miserable life?" These are questions asked by Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). His day starts off with the morning ritual of masturbating in the shower, and it's all downhill from there. He is in a loveless marriage, his daughter Jane (Thora Birch) despises him, and he hates his job. Wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) is a real estate agent who neglects her marriage and puts all her energy into her job. When she's not belittling her family, she's taking care of her rose garden or listening to motivational tapes.
Just when it all seemed hopeless, Lester has a revelation. No, make that a rebirth. He becomes smitten by his daughter's sexpot friend Angela (Mena Suvari), and she becomes the new focus of his life. He quits his job, starts working out, and buys marijuana from his creepy neighbor Ricky (Wes Bently). Lester takes control of his life with the reinvigorated confidence of a man trying to recapture the glory of his youth, when he was at his happiest.
This is the defining performance of Kevin Spacey's career. He does away with his usual smug, smart-alec wit and plays this role with all the desperation and liberation of a man on a mission. We feel him break free from the monotony of his life, and we root for him as he gives the finger to everything that has dragged him down for years. The heck with responsibility. The heck with mortgage payments. Darn it, he's getting his life back, even if it kills him (whoops!).
After a string of less-than-spectacular roles, Annette Bening is back, giving it her all as the demeaning Carolyn. When she's not taking her frustrations out on her family, she's inflicting wounds upon herself for failing at her job. Thora Birch is sympathetic as the rebellious daughter who falls for Wes Bentley's Ricky, the confident videotape-happy neighbor. When he's not dodging his ex-marine father (Chris Cooper), he's filming everything to capture the beauty he sees around him. He believes that there is nothing worse than being ordinary. In a sense, he is the beauty in "America Beauty".
The tagline for the film's marketing is "...look closer". If you look closer, you'll see that everyone is living a lie. Things are not what they appear to be, even in suburbia. Jane puts on a cold exterior when she just wants to be loved. Angela is not the slut she makes herself out to be. Carolyn wants Lester to pretend that he's happy at a business dinner. Ricky's father, a 1950's guy with a gruff exterior, is definitely not what he appears to be. Lester is the only one who realizes that his life is just a facade, and he finally takes the bull by the horns to get his happiness back.
"American Beauty" is serious without being overly dramatic. It is funny without being silly. You can't help but wonder how people find themselves trapped in situations where they have all their happiness and energy sucked right out of them. You can't help but wonder if it will happen to you.
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© Scott Mantz - Scott's Movie Reviews
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