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American Beauty
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Release
Date: 28th January 2000
Distributor: UIP
Certificate: 18
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening,
Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Scott Bakula
Director: Sam
Mendes
Running Time:
121 mins
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| Classic
films oBuena Vista Internationalously don't come ten-a-penny. And personally I thought we'd have
to wait a good while before we got the first "classic" of the
second century of film. But lo and behold, we didn't have to wait long. |
| American
Beauty is a classic by anyone's standards. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham,
who is, to say the least, having something of a mid-life crisis. His daughter
Jane (Thora Birch) has a friend Angela (Mena Suvari) whom Burnham gets somewhat
besotted with. Before you can say jailbait, Burnham has quit his job in
favour of working at a drive-thru burger-bar, and is hauling weights down
at the gym. His wife (Annette Bening) is also going through something of
a crisis, and we, the audience, watch on not knowing whether to laugh or
feel sorry for them. |
| The
two things that make this film work are the script, which is superbly and
comically written by Alan Ball, and Kevin Spacey. Just how Spacey can keep
churning out these superb performances in every one of his films is outstanding,
and even he doesn't at least get an Oscar nomination for this, well words
would fail me. Too often films exploring America's real qualities and failings
rely too much on trailer trash and the violent side, when, in reality, hardly
any of the population lives like this. So it is refreshing to watch a film,
and a credit to director Sam Mendes, that this film makes you feel human.
All this sounds a little too over the top I know, but believe me, watch
this film, and you will see that CGI and violence don't always have to be
employed to make a film spectacular. If I were any of the principal cast
of this picture, I'd be being measured up right now for that fateful night
in March. |
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