American Beauty (1999)

3.5 out of 4

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, Scott Bakula

Director: Sam Mendes

Time: 121 mins

Director Sam Mendes' debut film, American Beauty, is a masterful exploration of insecurities, infidelities, superficiality, and mid-life crises in suburban, middle-class America. Alan Ball's marvellous script is bold, brash, witty, and tragic, and is perfectly transferred to the screen by Mendes and a first-rate cast at the peak of their form. The first half is peppered with many moments of dark, delicious humour, and the second shows the world our inhabitants living in crashing down around them as a consequence of their startling life decisions. Indeed, the final twenty minutes contains some of the most suspenseful scenes since Saving Private Ryan. That a dark comedy/drama could generate such tension is a testament to the skills of Mendes and his team.

At its surface, American Beauty is a story about a dysfunctional family living in a nice house, in a nice neighbourhood, and in a nice suburb. Lester Burnham (Spacey) and his wife Carolyn are both middle-aged, out of love, and sexually unfulfilled. Lester is about to lose his job, while Carolyn's lack of success as a real estate agent drives her to tears. Their teenaged daughter Jane (Birch) also hates them, which doesn't exactly provide for harmonious dinner conversations. About the most exciting distraction in their lives is that they live next door to a gay couple named Jim and Jim (Scott Bakula and Sam Robards).

Things plod along mechanically, day by day, until the arrival of a new family next door, which includes budding videographer Ricky Fitts (Joaquin Phoenix look-a-like Bentley) and his stern US Marine dad (Cooper). Then Lester spots his daughter's best friend Angela (Suvari, from American Pie) at a basketball game and becomes completely besotted with her. With a newfound purpose in life, he quits his job and starts a fitness regime. His wife, meanwhile, has an affair with a rival real estate agent (Gallagher), while their daughter becomes attached to boy-next-door Fitts. Everything comes to a head when everyone's deep, dark secrets are revealed one dark, rainy night. To say any more would be a travesty.

American Beauty contains many laugh-out-loud scenes, especially those depicting Lester's pursuit of the angelic Angela. Many of the characters' lines and reactions are also embarrassingly funny, if only because they seem so real and true. Witness the annoyance of Jane with her parents when they come to watch her cheerleading routine and hang around longer than they need to. Ricky Fitts' family is almost as dysfunctional as Jane's, with an aloof mother and a father who's as conservative as they come. The scene where father Fitts discovers the true meaning of Jim and Jim's "partnership" and discusses it with his son is hilarious.

Deep down, American Beauty is also a character study. Lester finds new meaning to his monotonous life, Carolyn finds sexual release with her professional rival, and Jane finds a soulmate in Ricky. But their happiness comes at a cost. Superficiality is an ever-present theme, as reflected in the title. Everyone appears happy and in control, but their frustrations and insecurities are bubbling and ready to explode.

Even with a great script and great director, a film needs a great cast of actors to convey the complex layers of plot and character development. American Beauty has such a cast. First, there is Kevin Spacey. I am convinced that he is the best actor currently working, easily able to switch between playing good (The Negotiator), evil (Seven and The Usual Suspects), and even morally corrupt (L.A. Confidential). His performance as Lester Burnham should bring him, at the very least, an Oscar nomination. The scene where he first lays eyes on Angela is astonishing - a small movement of his brows and face muscles betrays his lust and infatuation. Annette Benning, as wife Carolyn, is not far behind in the acting stakes. Eerily looking like First Lady Hillary Clinton, she extracts little sympathy but still captures your attention. Thora Birch, as the rebellious Jane, and Wes Bentley, as the quiet Ricky, play probably the most normal characters in the film, and their sincere portrayals provide a nice contrast to the wild machinations of their parents. Cooper, as Ricky's menacing dad, and Suvari, as lust object Angela, are also excellent.

I walked into American Beauty with a slight trepidation, expecting a typical Woody Allen-esque study of marital and teenage angst that would leave me unsatisfied. What I saw was a rich, bright tapestry of suburban life, studded with darkly comic moments and tragedy. The acting is superb, and the finale thought-provoking. American Beauty is a great film.

(c) Joe Wong