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FRESH
SCRIPT...SUPERB DIRECTION...
By
Dave Paniagua
Cast:
Kevin Spacey (Lester Burnham), Annette Benning (Carolyn
Burnham), Thora Birch (Jane Burnham), Mena Suvari (Angela),
Wes Bentley
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Overall
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
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General
Plot: Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) decides
to make a few changes in his rut of a life, changes
that are less midlife crisis than adolescence reborn.
The freer he gets, the happier he gets, which is
even more maddening to his wife, Carolyn (Annette
Bening), and daughter Jane (Thora Birch)--especially
when he turns his lustful gaze toward Jane's friend,
the sultry Angela (Mena Suvari). Carolyn responds
by focusing her attention on real estate colleague
Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher). |
Lester Burnham
(Kevin Spacey) doesn't have much longer to live, yet
he already feels dead. It's the surburban life, complete
with the goody-goody wife (Annette Bening) and cheerleading
daughter (Thora Birch), that's killing him slowly. Deep
in a mid-life crisis and sparkling an attraction for
his daughter's friend (Mena Suvari), Burnham embarks
on a dark journey in the latest Dreamworks film, American
Beauty.
The film comes
alive from a fresh script by Alan Ball and superb direction
by Sam Mendes. The true star of the film is defintely
Spacey, improving with each scene and never letting
up. Birch's role as the only girl of the Burnham household
gets better when she hooks up with the new neighbor,
Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), who is obsessed with capturing
every moment of suburbian life on videotape. It's a
weird, but effective way of making a point of how far
the American Dream has come from its inception as the
perfect house with the perfect lawn and the perfect
family.
There are some
minor flaws along the way, such as the film's insistance
on Bening and Spacey being totally negligent of their
daugher and make her life ever the more miserable. Suvari
as the flirtatious cheerleader works well, but not in
the dream sequences filled with roses as some bizarre
message to Lester. The whole subplot of the Lolita-complex
that Lester develops with her is continued until the
audience can't bare to watch, and thus the ending can
be a tad on the excessive side when it's all over.
But American
Beauty drives its point across, despite the quirkiness
of it all. Recently, it has been shown to be a good-natured
comedy (for the most part), when in fact it is the darkest
a comedy should ever get with a message attached. Defintely
recommended for the Kevin Spacey fan and at the same
time, for the entire Oscar crowd. However, look for
Bening to get the undeserving nod who just may be under
the shadow of Spacey. Spacey always delivers powerful
roles in each of films and this one is no exception.
American Beauty is much more than just an all-star
studded cast. Just like movie implies: Beauty is not
skin deep. It is the substance that counts in
the end.
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