American Beauty (1999)
American Beauty is a 1999 American black comedy drama film written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham : an advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, played by Mena Suvari.
Annette Bening stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane. Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, and Allison Janney costar.
Academics have described the film as satirizing how beauty and personal satisfaction are perceived by the American middle class; further analysis has focused on the film's romantic and paternal love, sexuality, materialism, self-liberation, and redemption.
Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes , Spacey and Ball. Criticism tended to focus on the familiarity of the characters and setting.
DreamWorks launched a major campaign to increase American Beauty's chances of Oscar success; following its controversial Best Picture snubs for Saving Private Ryan (1998) the previous year.
At the 72nd Academy Awards, the film won five Oscars: Best Picture, along with Best Director for Mendes, Best Actor for Spacey, Best Original Screenplay for Ball, and Best Cinematography for Hall.
The film was nominated for and won many other awards and honors, mainly for directing, writing, and acting. And well deserved.
Professor Vincent Hausmann states that the film " explicitly affirms the importance of upholding the prohibition against incest "; a recurring theme of Ball's work is his comparison of the taboos against incest and homosexuality. Instead of making an overt distinction, American Beauty looks at how their repression can lead to violence.
And Spoiler Alert:
Col. Fitts in this film is so ashamed of his homosexuality that it drives him to do the unthinkable. Ball said: " The movie is in part about how homophobia is based in fear and repression and about what they can do. "
The film implies two unfulfilled incestuous desires: Lester's pursuit of Angela is a manifestation of his lust for his own daughter; while Col. Fitts' repression is exhibited through the almost sexualized discipline with which he controls his son Ricky.
Consequently, Ricky realizes that he can only hurt his father by falsely telling him he is homosexual; while Angela's vulnerability and submission to Lester reminds him of his responsibilities and the limits of his fantasy. Col. Fitts represents Ball's father, whose repressed homosexual desires led to his own unhappiness. Ball rewrote Col. Fitts to delay revealing him as homosexual.
Overall, this film is top notch!
