I don’t know what it is about Sam Mendes’ American Beauty (1999) that keeps pulling me back into several rewatches, but I am the least bit angry about it. Set in Americas Suburbia in Chicago, we learn about a man (Kevin Spacey) who is desperate for an exciting change in his life after being ‘trapped’ in a vicious, boring cycle for many years before. We follow Spacey, Annette Benning, and Thora Birch’s’ drastic changes as their family fall apart, in a perfect wonderland of events.
The film starts with Lester Burnham introducing himself and his life. The first person narration gives us a real connection as he is actually talking to us, rather than someone else in conversation. In the opening monologue, Spacey’s character Lester Burnham talks about his life at the current moment in time. He’s a married man with a wife and daughter but is ‘sedated’ in his day to day life and he doesn’t know exactly why. His morning routine consists of him waking up, showering, and ‘jerking off’ this being the high point in his day. This is showing us the viewers that his life really is as boring as it seems. Spacey wakes up alone when we first meet him, even though we know he has a wife. This is showing everybody watching that Mr. and Mrs. Burnham probably do not have the best marriage. This is later expanded upon as he tells the audience that ‘he used to be happy. We used to be happy’ putting one of the main themes of the film into play; conflict. The opening shot of the film shows us Burnham’s street, a quiet area which looks like a suburban dream; nice houses, nice gardens and a nice community. The opening monologue is very important to the plot as he reveals, within the first 30 seconds that within a year he will be dead. Not knowing how, why or when exactly, Mendes has already roped the audience in to stick around. It also leaves us wondering, how can a man with such a boring life, who works an office job die within a year? Maybe natural causes but he seems way too young for something of that severity. The finale of this film does wrap it up, however I doubt a first time watcher will know what’s coming.
The sheer spectacle that is the cinematography in this film makes it an instant classic. Conrad Hall does a fantastic job of making every shot in this film stand out. Whether it’s from the fantastic long shots of the neighbourhood or simply a 3-minute scene of a plastic bag blowing in the wind, it is never dull to watch. Judging by Halls impressive cinematography resume, including greats like Road to Perdition (2002) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) it was no surprise that he would blow everyone out of the water with his work on American Beauty. Mendes and Hall do a fantastic job at showing Burnham’s emotional growth during the film, making him look more significant as the film progresses. You can tell the men have done this as when we first meet Burnham, he’s a mellow, boring person who works a nine-to-five for a marketing company which you can tell he hates, fast forward to the end of the film, he has managed to secure a steady income for a year and looks like he is living the best version of his life possible and is loving every moment of it.
The performances in this film are simply jaw-dropping. Spacey does a fantastic job of capturing what a normal, boring life this character has, and how sick he is of doing the same thing over and over and over. My favourite scene in this entire film is ‘How to quit a job with Kevin Spacey’ where Spacey is told that he will be fired due to budget cuts in the industry. So, in his own way he forges a letter in which he explains his very vulgar routine at work where he ‘resides to the bathroom once a day to jerk off’ and wishes he didn’t live a life that so closely ‘reminded him of Hell’. He then proceeds to blackmail his boss into giving him one years salary, with benefits after exposing that the director of the company has paid for prostitutes with company money, and even threatens him with a sexual harassment charge. The way Spacey approached this scene makes you honestly believe that this has finally pushed him over the edge, yet he comes across so calm and collected, it makes you wonder if the damage has already been done to him and his psyche, to the point where he does not care about anything, anymore. Accompanying Spacey in this film is Annette Benning who plays his wife. Another great scene comes shortly after Spacey has quit his job as the family sit down for dinner and start arguing. The sheer chemistry the two share on screen, accompanied with their daughter sitting between them, almost like she’s been caught in the crossfire, really shows the audience how toxic and nasty their marriage has become, breaking down into heated arguments in front of their only daughter.
When it comes to American Beauty, there is never a reason why I’ll not give the film multiple viewings over and over. From the great storytelling and a relatable character, fantastic camerawork and beautiful shots of people, nature and even plastic bags, to the fantastic acting by all of the cast this film will go down and one of Mendes’ greats set in stone forever.
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