American Beauty (1999)
Having won 5 Oscars, and equipped with a stellar cast of actors, its no surprise Mendes’ American Beauty is a well made and enjoyable film. Easily mistaken to be a Tarantino movie, Mendes follows in the legendary directors footsteps with a narrative that follows multiple stand-alone characters with powerful stand-alone performances.The movie opens with a cam-cord recording involving a daughters want for vengeance on a somewhat horny, peverted father. Kevin Spacey’s performance is phenomenal and not dissimilar to Christian Bale’s performance in American Psycho and Ed Norton’s performance in Fight Club, a sort of blended masterpiece-laxidazicle regality. The soundtrack acts as a catalyst for the raw power behind the scenes of grandoise, shamelessness and passion that are commonplace within this story; the percussion keeps it moving at its swift pace, which is vital to keep the energy alive during a somewhat linear,narrated plot. Usually narration and a cyclical structure are landmarks of a mediocre or even unimaginative movie however, the narration and narrative cycle here, helps too tie the madness together into a neat bundle that softens the blow of the shocks that take place. The cinematography isn’t special but does its job effectively, with the creative opportunities executed using the infamous cam-corder and some iconic scenes involving a tonne of roses. As previously mentioned each character Is strong enough to function individually but what is most impressive is the ability for every one of them to showcase an authentic performance of varying dynamics of strength and vulnerability. The film as a whole may be dramatised and indulge in extreme displays of not-so-distant occurances in life, however it conciously and decisively challenges the flaws in western culture surrounding the everpresent focus on women’s beauty and the unhealthy standards established by the media. Spacey’s character-Lester Burnham-walks the thin line between untainted desire and arguably, pedophilia, this is done effectively and respectfully, Mendes presents us with the character’s desire and we are given the opportunity to make judgements, Lester Burnham is neither demonised nor glorified in his passion. Despite the controversy that follows Burnham, it is easy to find admiration in his flagrant attitude to life, not an anti-hero but certainly supports the concept of anti-institution. The real beauty in the movie is the irony and hypocrisy produced by ill-made judgements based of inaccurate stereotypes and the arrogant categorisation of individual people. This mindset is not purely American but rather a flaw that can be found in everyone to a varying degree. The twists and turns in this movie advocates for change in our interaction with the people and community around us. This movie had an advantage with its premise of social exploration and the idea of moral responsibility, no wonder this has become and remains a provocative classic in American cinema.
