You Beauty! (American Beauty (DVD))

Member Name: ickkate

Product:	American Beauty (DVD)
Date:	01/09/04 (371 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mendes teases some wonderful performances, The design elements are woven into the film, Conrad Hall's cinematography

Disadvantages: The film ends, I probably haven't done the film justice, Conrad Hall has died and can no longer collaborate with Mendes

There are very few films that you know within the first few minutes of watching them that they are going to be modern classics. From the moment that the camera pans over suburbia accompanied by Kevin Spacey's acerbic monologue, I could tell that I was in for something special - after all, how often are you told in the first few sentences that in less than a year the central character is going to be dead? British theatre-director, Sam Mendes' feature film debut is an intelligent and darkly humorous commentary on middle-class life that is wonderfully realised through production design, cinematography, score and a range of exceptional performances.

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a loser. Carolyn (Annette Bening), his ball-breaking Estate Agent wife, and Jane (Thora Birch), his angst-ridden daughter, both think so. In all honesty, he thinks they're probably right because he never remembers feeling quite this ?sedated? before. In the course of the next few weeks things are going to change a lot for Lester as his job comes under threat, he becomes infatuated with Jane's friend Angela (Mena Suvari) and the Fitts family move next door. Not only does Ricky (Wes Bentley) start dating Jane, but he also starts arousing the suspicions of his homophobic military father, Colonel Frank Fitts (Chris Columbus) through his friendship with Lester. But with that opening monologue it's easy to tell that this is not the story of Lester the Loser, but of someone who reclaims his life in a truly entertaining fashion.

Kevin Spacey in particular is brilliant as Burnham, with American Beauty confirming him as one of my favourite actors. Spacey has a quality to his face that means that the smallest alteration in his features can display a totally different emotion. His dead-eyed smiles and the fake happiness in his voice really bring the early Burnham to life? or should that be dullness. Even though Lester is a loser, Spacey makes him totally watchable. He also manages to capture the gradual change within Lester perfectly - another actor might have rushed it leaving the character's evolution feeling disjointed. I do wonder if some of the satisfaction that you feel in some of Lester's interactions is because he does feel like an Everyman figure. Even if Spacey does ooze charisma, he is not a conventionally attractive actor - someone much like us, but with the minor difference that he has the guts to say the things we would love to.

Carolyn is far from being a likeable character throughout much of the film, but Bening manages to walk the tightrope by putting the right emphasis on the lines that show her immense vulnerability. Motivational tapes and personal mantras prevent her from letting down her guard, and help to make her the critical woman that she is. (Some of her lines that are pointed at Jane are truly vicious). A great deal of it is deliciously funny, especially when it brings her close to madness or hysteria. But Bening somehow prevents her from becoming a caricature. There is also a real chemistry between her and Spacey that in one scene reminds us of what they found attractive in each other - of the softness and the vibrancy that once existed between them. Bening's timing in this scene is perfect.

Unfortunately I don't seem to have seen much of Birch since this film, but her performance of Jane is also wonderful. Her obvious distain for Lester and dislike of her mother is brilliantly judged. Instead of appearing like a petulant teenager, she is someone who is struggling with her own identity and emotions.

Her romance with the Ricky Fitts is also a tender one. Both are outsiders with different levels of confidence in who they are. It's easy to see that Jane has a lot to learn from Ricky as he is more mature than her and looks at the world through very different eyes even seeing beauty in a plastic bag. Bentley plays him with a quietness and confidence that is at times slightly eerie and helps to place him in the position of an outsider who Jane can relate to.

Chris Cooper manages to portray the many conflicts in Frank Fitts which include the authoritarian who would dearly love to come closer to his son; whilst Allison Jannery bears no resemblance to the bubbly CJ Cregg of West Wing as she plays his dead-eyed wife. I really cannot find a fault with any of the performances including Mera Suvari's deliciously vacuous portrayal of the apparently 'beautiful' Angela - even Barry Del Sherman shines as the man drafted in to trim Lester's job.

Alan Ball's script must take major credit for the black humour and dry wit that infuses the film. A moment to watch out for is the acid letter that Lester writes to the management at Media Monthly justifying his job - it just makes me grin from ear to ear. The characters Ball has written all have an exceptional depth with each character having at least one fault. This is not a completely naturalistic film though, and Ball has written in some surreal rose-related scenes that show Lester's lust for Angela and help to give the film its distinctive feel.

Mendes does not just choose to slip these in without taking account of the opportunities which film gives that theatre does not. As Angela's arm reaches towards Lester it moves once, the shot snapping back again as she appears to reach out a total of three times - leaving us in no doubt that this is not reality, but an illusion.

These sections are accompanied by Thomas Newman's beautiful theme that was mimicked by many commercials at the time. Newman uses any number of interesting percussion instruments to drive his theme; layering it with piano, guitar and bass notes to alter the mood and feel. It's definitely not a standard film score, and does sound a little strange if you analyse it on its own, but it perfectly suits Mendes film as it compliments drama, comedy and the hint of surreal perfectly. The soundtrack that also contains some real classics with The Who's 'Seeker' and The Guess Who's 'American Woman' being some of my real favourites.

Not only is American Beauty brilliantly acted, but it is also wonderfully designed and shot. I'm not quite sure where Mendes vision and Conrad Hall's cinematography diverge, but the images created are wonderful such as the moment where buildings are reflected on the windscreen of Lester?s car as he drives. However, Hall is definitely responsible for the use of light and the quality it contains. Somehow he manages to make it feel tactile as it streams through blinds. It's flawless yet has a slight mistiness that then goes to highlight the colours used.

And colour is very important in American Beauty and is one of the elements I picked up on repeated viewing. The majority of the colours are whites, dull greys or musky blues with the red appearing starkly against the background. A red fire-bird car, the red door and roses jump out at you - often signifying a release from the monotonous modern life. In some cases when characters come close to each other they appear to be wearing items of clothing in the same colour and made me think of that Mendes use of design was quite betrayed his theatrical origins.

Personally, I'm in no doubt that Mendes experience as a theatre director has informed his work on American Beauty. Where other director's may have rushed to the next scene Mendes allows his actors pauses that can often be as telling as a dialogue packed scene. He also seems to have teased exceptional performances from his entire cast, and I'm sure that some of that is due to Mendes use of a rehearsal period ? something that appears not to be that common in modern films. He also appears to have worked with his crew incredibly well, and together they have created a film that is hard to forget and reveals more through each repeated viewing.

'American Beauty' is the strain of rose that Carolyn Burnham tends in her front garden, but it is also something much more. It is an uplifting film that tries to show us that beauty can be found anywhere even in the places where you least expect it - so please "Look Closer".

_________________________________________________ _____________

This review has been written as part of the Favourite Film Competition that has now been confirmed as running during January. Any favourite film reviews that receive a crown will receive an extra 50p this month. Please enter by leaving a comment in your comments thread stating that your review is an entry in the Favourite Film Competition.

Summary: