American Beauty: Existentialism for the Masses

1999 in my opinion, was a good year. We've already discussed Fight Club and it's message to America, now in the same year comes another movie with a big budget and all star cast that may fool you into thinking it's a certain type of movie, but you slowly find out that you are in for a ride. Kevin Spacey stars in this glimpse of what appears to be an ordinary suburban family in Anytime, USA. We have a mom, dad, and of course teenage daughter. Fast foward a little more, and right across the street we meet another seemingly normal famly: An ex-marine, homophobic father and his wife who seems to have suffered from some kind of extreme mental disease and as a result says very little, along with their teenage son who has a fancy for videotaping things around him, such as a dead bird or even a dead person. It appears to be a pretty normal setup and you can probably already imagine what happens between the teenagers, but it is only a matter of time before the true nature of each of these characters is slowly revealed. One of the first things you see in the movie is Kevin Spacey touching himself in the shower before work, narrating: "Look at me. Jerking off in the shower. This will be the high point of my day. It's all downhill from here." Every character has their own personal conflicts and insecurities, but the last thing they want to do is reveal them, and as a result they are all pushed to do very drastic things, such as have an affair, and even murder. But I've already said too much. Throughout all of this drama in suburbia there is a message for the viewer, advertised by the tagline, "Look Closer". Although the movie was very successful, grossing over 300 million worldwide, and many have walked away from the movie with a powerful statement in their mind, critics will say that the statement against the materialistic lives we live is a bit contrived and almost pretentious, almost as if they dumbed down the message of the movie so that mainstream audiences could understand it. There is a certain scene where the teenage boy shows a video where he filmed a plastic bag in the wind, saying it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It sounds a bit silly, but I will say that the great performances and terrific score carry this movie through it's 'weak points'. Definitely check this one out.