Sunday, January 07, 2007

American Beauty

"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me, but it is hard to stay mad when there is so much beauty in the world.
"Sometimes I feel like im seeing it all at once and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that is about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain.. and I cant feel anything but gratitude..."
- Lester in American Beauty

An extraordinary film, thematically. Very funny too, and if it hadn't been, I don't think it would have interested me all that much.
Am I the only one who feels that both the young women in the film are rather... plain? Especially the Angela character, who is supposed to be really dang hot. I wouldn't have noticed her in a crowd, is what I feel.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite movie ever. Watching it for the first time was honestly one of the most profound moments of my life.

Anonymous said...

"Am I the only one who feels that both the young women in the film are rather... plain? yup.

Especially the Angela character...

This one?

Plain, huh?

Anonymous said...

Average D movie. Rather unrealistic. Plot was weak.
Characters made of cardboard.

Anonymous said...

Especially the Angela character, who is supposed to be really dang hot. I wouldn't have noticed her in a crowd, is what I feel.

Same here. Not even a desire to see them nude. Nothing to write home about.

laurie said...

loved this movie. At first I thought it was disturbing. Then when I saw it again I saw it completely differently, it made me laugh and laugh.

re. the girls being *hot*, well, they looked about as hot as many 16 year old girls at the local high school. That kind of hot.

btw, anonymous, nice photos. You really 83, or however old you said? Maybe it was 93.

Anonymous said...

"Rather unrealistic."

Lol, in what sense? Personally, I feel my actual life isn't that much different from the plot.

Anonymous said...

Kevin Spacey is a very gifted actor. I've had the pleasure of watching him in 3 other movies. However, I vehemently dislike him in the role of "American Beauty". They've turned Prot (Spacey) a mysterious stranger from "K-PAX", Spacey who helps a little boy do good in "Pay It Forward" and "The Shipping News" a father who makes a life for himself and daughter after being abandoned by a selfish, thoughtless women...into a filthy old lecherous man in his early to mid 50's oogling/fantasizing his daughter's girlfriends.
YUCK!!!! not only is this sick but disgusting as well.
I wonder how much he was paid to play this part? I guess some actors/actresses don't care what they have to do to earn a buck?
It makes me wonder...hmmmnnn. Does everyone have a price?

Anonymous said...

wonder how much he was paid to play this part? I guess some actors/actresses don't care what they have to do to earn a buck?
It makes me wonder...hmmmnnn. Does everyone have a price?

very sick movie indeed.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was disturbing.

Same here. Very DISTURBING!

Anonymous said...

foxylady_12010 said...
I vehemently dislike [Kevin Spacey] in the role of "American Beauty".


I have another conception, Foxylady : I think agreeing to play a bad guy shows that an actor is confident enough to not fear about being mistaken for the characters he/she plays.
Think of all the famous folks who played villains in the Batman movies : Nicholson, De Vito, Thurman, Schwarzenegger, Carrey...
"For the money"? I felt they added great interest to their characters.

Some people's egoes will have them say "I do NOT play bad guys, I'm successful now!"

Just my own opinion. There's no shame in playing a despicable character. Sometimes, it takes genuine talent. A good actor is a person who can pretend to be what he's not in reality.

I agree with Anon: I like girls like this one, who are not afraid to ease up and be more than "just a pretty face".

Anonymous said...

After seeing Spacey in Se7en, any other role for him -- before or after -- just seems lame.

I did enjoy American Beauty. However, there was something about the film that didn't feel authentic. It's as if the director was copying someone else's style - Robert Altman comes to mind.

Anonymous said...

I vehemently dislike [Kevin Spacey] in the role of "American Beauty".

Yeah, it was an extremely awful movie with ugly girls in it and a very sick plot. They need to burn this one and apologize for it. Ewwwww!

Anonymous said...

I think part of the intent of the movie was to open minds. Maybe it was just a test.

Anonymous said...

It would appear minds are not very opened.

Mid-life crisis, homophobia, domestic abuse, adultery, corporate abuse, out-witting the system, coming of age, beauty in desperate loneliness, and the realization of young love were the parts I remembered.

Guess I'd better watch the film again - I seem to have missed the point.

Anonymous said...

Steve White said...
It would appear minds are not very opened.

I watched it and really enjoyed it. It was sad but yet I really related to it. I'd love to own the DVD. Great movie indeed all!

Dick R.