American Beauty, director Sam Mendes’ maiden venture, very beautifully showcases the ills and the day-to-day tension that has crept in the daily life of an average American. To impart a touch of realism to the narrative and its ambience, the pace of the film is kept slow.
The movie is a tale of Lester Burnham, an average middle class American. He lives with his wife Carolyn and daughter Jane. Now the trouble is that Lester even after so many years of marriage, which seems perfect from outside, is a highly dissatisfied and disgruntled individual, particularly with the way his married life has shaped out to be. He is desperate to turn things around and bring back the erstwhile zing of his married life.
In this desperation, he falls for the sexy Angela, a friend of Jane. More than half his age, Angela is a flirtatious girl with chiseled features. She does not leave any opportunity to entice males towards her. This is exactly what she does with Lester.
Along with this main plot, many sub-plots are also intertwined in the narrative. All of them are dark, brooding and thought provoking. Each incident happening on the screen makes one sit up and lament on the societal values prevalent today.
However, the director has ended the film on a positive note. At the moment where Lestor is alone with Angela somewhere, somehow he stops short of making love to her. He realizes that alas, all this was only a dark desire and not anything else.
I could not have imagined any actor except Kevin Spacey playing the lead character of Lestor Burnham. He is truly amazing in the movie. A far cry from his roles in thrillers like LA Confidential and The Negotiator, Spacey has shown that he can emerge as a powerhouse performer in sensitive roles too. He fully deserved the Best Actor Oscar for the movie.
Annette Bening is competent in the role of Carolyn. The sudden jerks of anger and depression that she portrays on screen are worth watching. Its a pity that she missed the Oscar nomination.
Thora Birch has grown up to be one of the most talented teen actors around. Her eyes seem to express the vulnerability associated with the character of Jane. Mena Suvari as Angela is all cunning and scheming.
The cinematography by ace cinematographer Conrad Hall is in tune with the theme and the essence of the film. Traditional photography intermingled with close up shots provide a hi-tech angle to the film.
A decent first effort by Mendes.