|
Cast
Lester
Burnham (Kevin Spacey)
Carolyn
Burnham (Annette Bening)
Jane
Burnham (Thora Birch)
Angela (Mena
Suvari)
Ricky
Fitts (Wes Bentley)
Colonel
Fitts (Chris Cooper)
Directed
by Sam Mendes
Written
by Alan Ball
Rated
R for strong sexuality, nudity, language, violence, and drug
content
Running
Time: 118 minutes Distributed by Dreamworks
Buy
this Poster!
American
Beauty is an incredible, smart, and driven masterpiece. A
look through contemporary life in suburban America is revealed
through the eyes of Lester Burnham (Spacey). Lester's family
includes his real estate selling wife Carolyn (Bening) and
his outcast teenage daughter Jane (Birch). Lester is finally
tried of everything, his job, his family, and mostly himself.
Thus leading Lester to entering a stage of saying, doing,
and dreaming of his personal desires and wants. As Lester
moves through his transitional change, Carolyn and Jane also
begin to go through changes in the world. As the film moves
forward, life in America today is shown through a group of
unforgettable and fantastic characters.
American
Beauty is an instant classic; it takes its place as being
one of the best and creative films ever made. This film is
defiantly one of the year's best and most probably the best
film this year.
The
acting in American Beauty is brilliant and Oscar worthy. Kevin
Spacey is amazing as Lester Burnham. This is his best performance
to date, which stands out in already respectable resume. Spacey
previous credits include Glengarry Glen Ross, The Usual Suspects,
Seven, The Negotiator, and L.A. Confidential. Spacey is truly
one of the most gifted talents in the entertainment industry.
He has a great chance of winning his second Oscar with his
performance in American Beauty. Annette Bening is excellent
as Carolyn Burnham. Bening portrays a dynamic character that
might also bring her some awards during Oscar time. Chris
Cooper is furious and exile as Lester's military driven neighbor
Colonel Fitts. Also, the young performers in American Beauty,
which compose of Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Wes Bentley,
deserve noticeable and respectable attention as well. The
whole cast is extravagant and talented actors develop a great
ensemble in American Beauty.
Sam
Mendes' direction in American Beauty is full of creative and
unique symbolism. American Beauty is Mendes' first directed
film, however he is legendary director on the Broadway stage.
Though this his first film, his direction is recognizable
to great filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Stone, and
Milos Forman. Mendes will probably also receive a lot of praise
and awards for this film.
American
Beauty was written masterfully by Alan Ball. The script is
precise and full of colorful characters and vast sequences
and actions. The story is a moral tale of our society. The
script is very funny, warm, and moving at times. There will
not be a better script than American Beauty to come out of
Hollywood for awhile.
I
can't say enough about American Beauty; it just takes its
place as one of the most unforgettable and best films ever
made. It is a movie that will make money, establish a large
audience, and wind up winning a lot of awards. If you only
see one movie for the rest of the year, see American Beauty.
Report
Card Grade: A+
10/15/99
Beastman's
Movie Reviews
Joseph
C Tucker
Copyright, 2000 Joseph C. Tucker, reprinted with kind permission
|
