embarrassed to admit, but I actually never got around to seeing this one. Though I did catch both Road to Perdition and Jarhead which for what its worth, demonstrated Mendes directorial ability.
I’ve never really understood the crazy love for this movie. I found it decent at times, irritating at others. Not terrible, but not great… and maybe not even good (in my opinion).
Personally, I’ll stick with The Ice Storm for my upper-middle class suburban malaise and it’s effect on children.
Crap Monster – When you do see it, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts. I didn’t even know Mendes did Road to Perdition, another film I really enjoyed. Never saw Jarhead. I’m looking forward to seeing Revolutionary Road. A friend of mine has a screener. Hope they bring it over soon.
Hey Brandon! To me, the film was very life affirming, with a strong message that all of us can avoid the traps we tend to easily fall into when we reach those adulthood years, even more so in our middle age years, and how we should never take love for granted. Most importantly, it has strong anti-consumerist and metaphysical messages about taking time to really appreciate the simple things in life we all take for granted, because our number can come up at any moment. This is why I find the ending so phenomenal – Spacey’s character dies prematurely, but he’s found contentment in his life, so it was all ok. A beautiful, tear-inducing epilogue.
I also love the way the film plays out the love stories between Lester and his wife and Jane and Ricky, two contrasting portrayals of youthful love, where the possibilities are unknown and unlimited, and mature love, where the possibilities seem to have eroded. Lester and his wife have lost sight of the things that initially attracted them to one another because they have become so bogged down with responsibility and desire for material wealth. I think this is a mirror reflecting middle class American society (could this be one of the reasons why America’s divorce rates are so high?) In contrast, Jane and Rickey are taking off to un uncertain, yet exciting future, throwing caution to the wind. You don’t really know if they’re going to be OK or not, but that doesn’t matter, what’s important is they’re doing it, and really have nothing to lose.
I can see how some would view the themes of this film a tired concept, but here it works because of the great writing by Alan Ball and direction of Sam Mendes.
And Man-O-Man I’m with you on the Ice Storm. Great attention to detail, great performances and beautiful direction by Ang Lee. He da man!
I’m not sure if I’ll ever see it since its something I never really thought to before but I did indeed love Road to Perdition. Jarhead was overall forgettable but it wasn’t poorly made in any sense. Both films at least for me have made me a fan of Mendes to a certain degree.
If I ever do catch it, ill be sure to tell you what I thought.
I really like American Beauty, it’s dark and deep and sexy, but also incredibly moving. The bag in the wind scene and Ricky Fitt’s commentary on beauty in life still gives me the shivers every time.
It’s a good film, but I don’t think it will age particularly well.
I find it to be a beautiful and truthful portrait of the superficiality that so many people succumb to in the course of their lives. Definitely one of my all time favorites.
Totally useless and dull film, a retread of about a dozen Sodom In The Suburb Tropes borrowed from other better films. See SEX LIES & VIDEOTAPE, LOLITA, HAPPINESS or THE ICE STORM. Some fine performances and production values, to be fair, but the trite script and Spacey’s tired one-note performance make it a waste of time better spent watching paint dry.
Eh, falls right into the “Suburban peace = personal depression” cliche that Hollywood has been handing us for years. It’s so much easier to make a film like this where everyone inhabits a 2-dimensional world, widely accepted as truth, than to make a film that has some actual honesty to it.
Aside from that, the performances are nice and the cinematography is lovely.
While the film is, as Roscoe cited, to a certain extent a “retread of about a dozen Sodom in the Suburb Tropes”, which Robert Trapped in Nowhere expounded upon, for me the film represents the suburban 90s in such a condensed and frighteningly accurate way. The decor is central in this: whenever the interior of a house is show, you can feel the T.J. Maxx and the Home Goods ooze through each pillowsham and $12.99 piece of china that Carolyn has adorning her house. In this film, the 90s can almost be reached out to and felt. Anyone else get that feeling?
Roscoe – Sorry you feel that way about the film. All four of the other films you mention are excellent pictures that touch on various aspects of suburbia or use suburbia for the melancholic backdrop of the films, but I think American Beauty does offer up something that separates it from all these other films. It’s those subtle underlying messages that really speak to me. But I know the film isn’t for everyone.
American Beauty was an eye-opener for me, it really showed me there was more to cinema in terms of superiority in technique, emotional content and boundaries of cinematic language than the Indian Cinema kitsch that I was familiar with until i was 18, 9 yrs down and for opening up the doors to world cinema and for Sam Mendes, it still remains one my favorite movies.
I think Sam Mendes secretly watched BIGGER THAN LIFE a thousand times before making this. Seriously, just compare the dinner scenes.
Not a great film at all, some funny scenes but nothing special, i agree that time will not be kind to this film like many other Oscar winners.
Rich – I’ll have to check “Bigger Than Life” out. Who’s in it? When was it made? Director?
Pretty awful movie. Boring and without merit. Honestly, the point of it ends up being blatantly consumerist bullshit.
“How does it reflect American culture, societal norms and our value system?”
i dont like AB that much, i dont think it´s crap, but a bit prentecious for my taste and very much overacted, in general a good “black-comedy” that would make a good play, but i prefere Todd Solondz “petroleum-comedies” of american culture.
Welcome to the doll house
Happines
Storytelling
Palindromes
Personally, I love American Beauty and thought that it was the first American Masterpiece in a very long time, when it was released. American Beauty really introduced me to film as an art form, as something that can inspire and move. I am really surprised how much steam this film has lost since its original release and I am really surprised how many people do not like the film. I thought for sure I would see it on top 100 lists, specifically AFI’s.
I have seen the Ice Storm and feel that American Beauty Is a far superior film, probably because i can relate with the era the film takes place in and because American Beauty digs deeper and, without boundaries, shows us the duplicity of man.
I really didnt get into this film. And never understood all fuss.
I really enjoyed American Beauty. It certainly had some weaker moments, but great themes and style reallly more than made up for them. It may not be a completely new idea to make a movie about suburban isolation and pitfalls, but this one did it well.
In response to it not aging well, I dont think it was supposed to be a modern movie forever. It is a glimpse into the 90s suburban life, not suburban life in general, so if you watch it in 10 years and the decor is dated, get over it. The themes and events will last, the setting will be left behind.
Just my two cents
I find the best part of this film to be that everyone wants something someone else has.
SIEMPREVIVA – I don’t mean to sound harsh, but if you have to ask the question of how does American Beauty "reflect American culture, societal norms and our value system?” I suggest giving the film another viewing, then just “look closer” at your own life or others you may know in middle class America, which defines American cultural norms and values.
In a nutshell, I believe the film very effectively depicts our material-obsessed culture, how we tend to identify ourselves with material success, and how we suppress our own identities and values for the sake of appearance (hence Ricky Fitts closet homosexual father). Relationships crumble because of this, and most people, as they get older, tend to get bogged down into a routine that really limits them from fulfilling their ultimate potential – the ultimate result of consumerism. This is why consumerism themes are used so often in films, because consumerism ultimately leads to the deterioration of any society, if it’s in place long enough. Just look at America now. It’s the whole reason why the economy is the way it is.
Lastly, at the end of the film, we should be able to understand a bit better the film’s spiritual message and catch phrase “look closer.” Essentially, find contentment in your life and start putting more emphasis on the things that really matter: The relationships you have with other people, especially your family, and live in the present and only the present.
On another note, I see a lot of posts here from people who say they don’t believe time will be good to this film and it won’t age well. Please elaborate, as I’m interested in hearing more as to why you believe this. If Douglas Sirks’ films can hold up so well over time (many of the themes and scenarios depicted in American Beauty were used in Sirk’s films) why can’t American Beauty or the films of Sam Mendes? And please ask yourself why this film won five academy awards. It practically swept the top categories, and Annette Benning, in my opinion, should have taken home the best actress award that year over Hilary Swank.
Sam Mendes’ films won’t age well because they’re not very good to begin with. It often works out that way.
And you’re not exactly bolstering your argument by citing AMERICAN BEAUTY’s near sweep at the Oscars, seldom if ever a hallmark of quality.
You don’t exactly have an arguement Roscoe….
Turd, I stated my opinions on AMERICAN BEAUTY and Mendes’ dull output, I’m not the one making claims for its quality and backing them up with reminders of Oscar wins.
Did you read the post before that?
Yeah, they were a very nice set of opinions that I happen to disagree with. I remember that AMERICAN BEAUTY did the near sweep on Oscar night, that doesn’t make it a particularly good movie.
Lester Burnam
As you can tell by the new moniker I have selected for myself, it should come as no surprise that this is my all-time favorite film. Let’s hear your opinions. Was it worthy of all the Academy Awards it received (I definitely think so). What are some of the themes and messages you gather from it? How does it reflect American culture, societal norms and our value system? What did you think about the ending?