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American Beauty (DVD, 2000, Limited Edition Packaging Awards Edition Widescreen)
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Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for his portrayal of Lester Burnham, father and husband lost in this day and age (1999). He is bored at work, his wife does not fulfill his needs, and his daughter is at the age where she is ashamed of her parents. So what does he do? He fantasizes having an affair with his daughter's best friend (Mena Suvari). He quits his job, starts working out in the basement, smokes pot--expensive marijuana, and buys a sports car. He starts working at a Mc Donald's type fast food joint. He is certainly having a male menopause. In the meantime, his wife Carolyn Burnham, played by Annette Bening (in an Oscar nominated role as Best Actress), is having her own meltdown. She is a frustrated realtor, who eventually has an affair with a top realtor (Peter Gallagher). She is outraged at her husband's behavior and starts practicing shooting a gun. And when her husband catches her locked in a kiss with this man, she really gets desperate. She may be on her way home to kill Lester. Their next door neighbor is Chris Cooper("Lonesome Dove" and "Adaptation"), a really screwed up retired Marine Colonel Fitts, who dominates his wife (Allison Janney from "The Hours") and son Ricky (played by Wes Bentley). In an unusual role for Chris Cooper, we see him doing drug testing of his son, going ballistic when Ricky takes an item out of his locked up collection of memorabilia, and physically fighting and beating his son for practically no reason. In the meantime, Mrs. Fitts is like a Stepford wife and just sits all day in a daze; she must be on tranquilizers to live with such a man. The only happy characters in the neighborhood are the male homosexual couple (Scott Bakula and Sam Robards ), who happily jog and deliver welcome baskets to new neighbors. The movie does not dwell in their lives much. This movie is supposed to be funny but it is a sad commentary on the way that some of us live today. Even couples can be detached from each other--each trying to make their own way to the top in the world. Hatred of gay people, domestic violence, teenagers and parents on drugs, promiscuous sex, an almost statutory rape, child abuse--all are subjects of this movie. I will say though, that the funniest scene is when Lester catches his wife while working at Mr. Smiley's fast food joint. She and her lover come through the drive in and he hears her voice. When she drives to the pick-up window, he greets them with "Welcome to Mr. Smiley's. Would you like a Cheese and Pot Pie on a stick? Would you like Mr. Smiley sauce with that?" This movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Sam Mendez), Best Cinematography, and Best Actor (Spacey). It has won acclaim from the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild, and was on almost every critic's top 10 list of movies for that year. The DVD has almost 3 additional hours of video explaining the movie. This is obviously a movie to see, but whether you are entertained or not is up to you and your ability to like and dislike characters.Read full review
This is a fantastic movie that I bought so I could share with other film buffs. Don't get hung up on the terrible dance team costumes and bad makeup of the teenagers everywhere and focus on the excellent acting. The storyline draws you in and makes you contemplate your own life and how others see you. The story is amazingly accurate with so many intricate details like the bad outfits and makeup that if the camera was a little shaky, you'd think you were watching an actual family at a crisis point. Again, great movie, that I'd recommend to anybody who truly appreciates movies and can take it all in.
***MINIMAL SPOILERS*** This movie nearly accomplished a feat that only three movies have claimed to date: the Grand Slam of the Oscars. The Five ( 5) categories to qualify of winning the Grand Slam of the Oscars are: 1) Best Picture 2) Best Actor( Leading Role) 3) Best Actress ( Leading Role) 4) Best Director 5) Best Screenplay. The one award that American Beauty did not win was Best Actress. A fifth Oscar was awarded to Conrad W. Hall as Best Cinematographer. Lester( Kevin Spacey) and Carolyn Burnham( Annette Benning) seem to be the prototypical Yuppie Eastern Atlantic family, until we look much closer. Lester loses his job, now at Carolyn's mercies. Lester is going through mid-life crisis, as evidenced by his inappropriate infatuation with his daughter Jane's( Thora Birch) high school friend, temptress Mena Suvari). Meanwhile, the Fitts family moves in next door, and Jane starts a relationship with the son, Rickey Fitts ( Wes Bentley). Lester and Rickey become friends as well, but this does not settle well with Col. Frank Fitts( Chris Cooper), Rickey's father. This movie holds up in every aspect.Read full review
This movie is probably a hit-or-miss thing with most people since it has very few "flashy" features to it. It is a very sad look at a trapped suburban family, so if you're into that then you will enjoy. If you want a more uplifting experience, I suggest you still get this movie so that you can understand and more thoroughly enjoy all of the pop-cultural references to it. There are some very quotable and memorable parts of this movie that when presented in any given crowd can make you seem like either a genius or a film-buff, which are both good things to appear to be sometimes.
Great movie. Keven Spacey is wonderful as an actor in any movie. The story line is wonderful. It touches upon subject matter that appeals to young audiences. It is reality, at its very best. Wish the main character survived though!!!!
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