"Where Movie Critics Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine!"
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American Shame
by Herb Kane
October 17, 1999
(R)
CRITIC DOCTOR EXAMINES: Michael Elliott (christiancritic.com), Roger Ebert (Chicago-Sun-Times), Vladimir Zelevinsky, Robert Roten (Laramie Movie Scope), Ann-Rebecca Laschever (Newsweek), Rod Dreher (New York Post), Harvey S. Karten (Compuserve), Susan Stark (Detroit News) and Jeff Vorndam (moviething.com).
"American Beauty comes with an aura of dazzlingly positive reviews - which, I presume, simply reflects the film critics' thirst for something original, irrespective of quality," writes online movie critic, Vladimir Zelevinsky. If you add together all the four-star ratings given to American Beauty, it almost puts the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" to shame. But it's the plot in this film that puts the movie to shame, regardless of the superior acting.
"There isn't a weak actor in the cast. Both Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening are magnificent in their roles," said Michael Elliott (christiancritic.com). And so was the rest of the cast - especially Ricky (Wes Bentley). This character presented the movie with some of the most thought provoking scenes that eventually revealed the title of the movie. But all of this wasn't enough to save the film.
Robert Roten (Laramie Movie Scope) says, "The only daring thing about this film is that it openly endorses drug use. The hero of the film is a pot smoker and the film's other inspirational hero is a drug dealer." Ann-Rebecca Laschever (Newsweek) comments, "Wes Bentley juggles effectively enough to come across as both creepy and appealing." Again, great acting. But drug use was praised in this film and often laughed at.
Jeff Vorndam (moviething.com) observes, "Lester befriends Ricky in an extremely funny pot-smoking scene, and is inspired to quit his job…" Which now leads us to Lester who allowed his daughter to date Ricky. What dad would allow this? Even so, Ricky stalked his daughter, Jane, (Thora Birch) with a camcorder, filmed dead pigeons and was once in a mental institution. Yet she still chose to date him? It is about as unrealistic as Lester allowing a child to inspire him to quit his job and work for a fast food joint.
Here's a guy who doesn't get any sex from his wife (and masturbates next to her in bed while she sleeps) and suddenly lusts after his daughter's hot little 16 year-old blonde friend, Angela (Mena Suvari). He quits a much higher paying job to work the take-out station at Smiley's, a fast food restaurant position commonplace to teens. What idiot would do this? An actor required to play out a weak plot point where he serves food to his wife and secret lover by surprise at a pick up window. The scene was funny, but the idea was very unrealistic.
Then there is Ricky's father, Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper). He's portrayed as a retired military man guided by high morals (very much against gays) and a power hungry appetite that often lead to the brutal physical discipline of his son. Yet, this man, within a matter of minutes, during a twisted misunderstanding of his son's relationship with Lester, decides to make a pass on his neighbor because he's been unaware of his own sexuality for all these years? Please, people. This was nothing more than Hollywood's spin on society's unwillingness to accept the gay lifestyle. The sudden change in the character was not believable.
Zelevensky said the movie wanted to talk about inner beauty, but failed by being "insultingly obvious and forced, and by the means of giving both teen actresses topless scenes," and he declared the film to be a "high-minded philosophical-wannabe movie, which succeeds only as a mediocre soft-core flick."
The idea of Lester molesting a 16 year-old child and the film combining this scene with the girl nude was pretty shameful. Why couldn't it at least have been an 18 year-old "legal" college student? Lester the molester ultimately made the right choice when the moment of truth came, but the message we got here is, "Go ahead, Mr. Over-The-Hill. Make sexual advances on a minor - unless she is a virgin of course."
Roger Ebert (Chicago-Sun-Times) said, "Nobody is really bad in this movie, just shaped by society in such a way they can't be themselves, or feel joy." For the love of God, Roger. Isn't that the ploy of many prisoners in penitentiaries? "We're victims of society," so they say. Not so. They made the wrong choices in society. Rod Dreher (New York Post) was more accurate with, "The characters really are as horrible as they are familiar."
Susan Stark (Detroit News) chuckles about an adult sex scene (all adults, no minors), "A shot of Bening in bed at a cheap motel, whooping it up with her heels high above her as she makes love with the town's sleazy real-estate tycoon, is good for a belly laugh." Actually, this scene caused my stomach to do a somersault. And what a wonderful image for a future First Lady! That is, of course, if Bening's husband (Warren Beatty) decides to run for president of the United States of America. Imagine that footage in political ads. Of course, in an era of Bill Clinton, such footage would probably help Warren win.
Why did this movie work well for most critics? Harvey S. Karten (Compuserve) says, "American Beauty mesmerizes because every moment, however caricatured, hits a nerve in each of us." I guess any husband who does not get sex from his wife can relate. Drug dealers and users can relate. Anyone who hates their job - period - will relate. Regardless, the film was very visual and my favorite scene is where Ricky shows Jane the most beautiful thing he ever filmed. A floating plastic bag twirling in the wind, never leaving its place. It was filmed ever so wonderfully. But then this same guy, later in the film, watches blood poor from a man's skull and smiles at its beauty. I guess selling drugs to people is also a beautiful thing, too. This film was strange.
Ann-Rebecca Laschever summed up the movie by saying it was "confused about its own message."
American Beauty could have been one of the best movies of the year - with a real message. But the dark abstract plot overwhelmed any true meaning linked to the story. If this movie wins an Oscar, it will be an ugly day in America.
--THE CRITIC DOCTOR
FILM CREDITS:
Movie: American
Beauty (R - strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content)
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Wes Bently, Chris
Cooper, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari
Directed by: Sam Mendes Writer: Alan Ball
Running time: 120 minutes Distributor: Dream Works
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