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 Director
: Sam Mendes
Starring
: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari,
Wes Bentley, Allison Janney, Peter Gallagher.
Picture
2.35:1 Anamorphic, DD 5.1, DTS, Single-Side Dual-Layer,
Keep Case
Running
Time : 122 mins
The
story:
Look
Closer!
Lester
Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is an unhappy man. Caught between
his life in American suburbia, his boring career and his
neurotic & materialistic estate agent wife (Annette
Bening) he is slowing fading away. He is henpecked and downtrodden
to the point that even his daughter Jane (Thora Birch) thinks
he is creepy and shows little respect for him. Shaken by
sexual feelings for his daughters young friend he suddenly
feels awakened and alive. For the first time in a long while
he feels like making a stand. He takes control of his life
by first quitting his job and at the same time blackmailing
his boss into giving him a years salary. He decides to get
into shape, to become the person he has always dreamed of
and slowly his life begins to have some meaning and clarity.
The
summary:
To
sum up a film with only one word sometimes does not come
close to what you are trying to describe. For American Beauty
one word comes to mind "magical". In this graceless
age American Beauty lifts your spirit, making you laugh,
cry and be uplifted all at the same time.
Lester
Burnham is the antithesis of modern life. Overworked, underpaid
and living life only to exist rather than to really live.
He plods along with no goals, downtrodden by his wife and
losing sight of the things that once elicited a reaction
in him and all the while falling further into his downward
spiral of middle aged drudgery. His marriage is little more
than a sham, a carcass of what it once meant and he has
nothing left to lift his spirits. Carolyn Burnham, Lesters'
wife is almost the opposite of Lester. Filled with the kind
of get up and go spirit of a teenager she is determined
to be the best real estate saleswomen that has ever lived.
Ruled by materialism and other peoples perception of her
she lives in a world that is a facade put up to portray
success to anyone she meets. Inwardly she is a women in
denial. Unhappy and looking for something to fill her life.
Their daughter Jane is also governed by feelings of inadequacy
and tries her best to be unattractive and creepy. She is
looking for someone to understand her in a household that
offers little understanding, with parents that are too emotionally
involved in their own problems.
This
whole scenario may sound pretty depressing, and believe
me sometimes the film does wander down that path. But the
moral that is being pushed at us is not that life is so
full of routine and boredom but that at every corner our
lives are filled with so much opportunity and beauty that
sometimes we just need a catalyst to make us realise it.
Each of the major characters meet their catalyst in different
ways ( for Lester it is his daughters' best friend) and
this makes for a film that can be up one minute and down
the next. A rollercoaster of emotions that takes us on a
journey through life. Sometimes that life can be a mirror
of our own and there will be more than once in the film
when you feel that you can relate to what's happening &
see yourself in that situation. This film is definitely
touched by greatness and is a magical journey that I would
advise anyone to take. Grab the handles, hold on tight and
sit back....you will enjoy.
The
DVD itself comes in an understated keepcase and includes
a good array of extra's. The sound and picture are both
superb and the 2.35:1 print gives a great cinematic experience.
It may be a while before this is released on Region 2 so
I would definitely advise to go for the Region 1 copy. The
sooner the better !
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