American Beauty (1999) Dir: Sam Mendes
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This 1999 romantic comedy, from director Sam Mendes, has been one of those 90s classics I've had on my watchlist for the longest time. In all honesty, I was put off by two things; the premise, which sounded very creepy, and the protagonist being played by Kevin Spacey. Nonetheless, I finally thought I'd give it a watch.
I hated the elevator music that comprised the majority of the film's soundtrack. It was intensely dull. I wasn't really a fan of the sound in general, in all honesty. The film's visuals were, at least, a positive. I thought there were some very interestingly composed and conceived shots, although, in my view, these were far too infrequent.
There were precisely two likable characters in the film, and they were the barely featured gay couple. Everyone else was, quite frankly, unbearable, at times. I failed to grow attachments, nor care, for any of main characters. Sure, it wasn't every scene, but it was a good amount of them - more than enough to put me off.
The film's writing didn't improve in other aspects either, with line after line of mundane dialogue, which weighed down what were some pretty decent character developments. This was not helped by the incredibly slow pace of the film. It dragged itself through the two hour runtime - a runtime that I felt every second of.
I also found the nudity of the supposed sixteen and seventeen year-old girls very uncomfortable - another moment in cinema where I wonder what was actually necessary. In this case, I don't think those two young actresses, who were both portraying minors, exposing their breasts was exactly necessary.
Kevin Spacey gave a monotonous, drivelling performance, which utterly bored me. I recognise that, to an extent, he was supposed to be a bit dull, but my word, it was like listening to an educational audiobook.
Thora Birch had flashes of acting quality, but I failed to be impressed by the majority of her performance. I felt similarly towards Wes Bentley's performance. He had a couple of well-acted scenes, but I felt that he was, for the most part, pretty forgettable.
Mena Suvari appeared only briefly, but she was one of the better actors, in my view. I almost wish she appeared more, especially considering how undercooked her character's personal arc was. It felt like Suvari, as well as her character, had a lot more to give the film.
Annette Benning was pretty entertaining, by contrast, and was the only main protagonist who I actually found at all funny. Finally, I'll give two quick mentions to the pair of Chris Cooper and Peter Gallagher, who gave some solid performances in their supporting roles.
Overall, I was hoping this would have a lot more to like about it than it did. I didn't hate it, but it was certainly underwhelming. The story had plenty of potential and intrigue, but was so drawn out that I was pleading for it to end. I also wasn't really a fan of the predatory nature of the most memorable storyline - that being a dad being obsessed with a seventeen year-old girl. How did this win best picture?
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