Back in 1999 I went to see American Beauty when it was still a new film out in theaters. I didn’t like it. I took a date to it, and neither one of us liked it. Even though the story turned me off, I felt like the movie had that certain “something” that the academy award people always seem to like. To this day I still can’t put my finger on what exactly that something is, but as we were walking out of the theater I said to my date, “That was really bad, and I bet it wins some academy awards!” Of course, it did. In fact it won Best Picture that year.
To me the story had no redeeming value at all. It was about a guy who was miserable with his life and sought redemption/salvation through statutory rape and drug use. When the movie won best picture that year I quit watching the Oscars, and have not watched them (or even taken a slight interest in them) for 9 years now.
Last year I was chatting with a buddy about the film and he mentioned some points that I had not previously considered. Then, a few weeks ago another friend watched it and gave me her perspective on it. I thought I would give it a fresh viewing. I rented the disc yesterday and then watched it last night. This time I was paying special attention to the lead character’s job (which he hated) and tried to pull the message out of his narration, and the other parts of the film.
One of the things that had really confused me the first time around was the film’s title. What exactly was meant by “American beauty?” How did it differ from, say, European beauty, or any other type of beauty for that matter. One of my friends suggested that it was a story about pursuing the American Dream, and that once the main character realized that his idea of the American dream was not beautiful, he attempted to turn around and find beauty elsewhere. If that is the case, and that is what the supposed message of the film is, then I still see the same thing… a guy who is miserable with his life and seeks redemption/salvation through statutory rape and drug use.
Perhaps that’s not the message, though. Another friend suggested that the message might be seeing beauty in everyday situations. There is talk of this, and it seems to be a theme suggested by two of the characters, but it is not a theme that makes sense (in the context of the movie). At one point a character states that the corpse of a dead bird is beautiful, and in a different instance another character finds beauty in all things immediately after he is shot (dead) in the head.
I still see no redeeming value in this film. I have no idea what the Academy saw in this movie. I am disappointed that a group of motion picture professionals decided to put this empty plot up on a pedestal with praise and admiration. I still don’t get it.
I would love to hear feedback from my friends on this.
To me the story had no redeeming value at all. It was about a guy who was miserable with his life and sought redemption/salvation through statutory rape and drug use. When the movie won best picture that year I quit watching the Oscars, and have not watched them (or even taken a slight interest in them) for 9 years now.
Last year I was chatting with a buddy about the film and he mentioned some points that I had not previously considered. Then, a few weeks ago another friend watched it and gave me her perspective on it. I thought I would give it a fresh viewing. I rented the disc yesterday and then watched it last night. This time I was paying special attention to the lead character’s job (which he hated) and tried to pull the message out of his narration, and the other parts of the film.
One of the things that had really confused me the first time around was the film’s title. What exactly was meant by “American beauty?” How did it differ from, say, European beauty, or any other type of beauty for that matter. One of my friends suggested that it was a story about pursuing the American Dream, and that once the main character realized that his idea of the American dream was not beautiful, he attempted to turn around and find beauty elsewhere. If that is the case, and that is what the supposed message of the film is, then I still see the same thing… a guy who is miserable with his life and seeks redemption/salvation through statutory rape and drug use.
Perhaps that’s not the message, though. Another friend suggested that the message might be seeing beauty in everyday situations. There is talk of this, and it seems to be a theme suggested by two of the characters, but it is not a theme that makes sense (in the context of the movie). At one point a character states that the corpse of a dead bird is beautiful, and in a different instance another character finds beauty in all things immediately after he is shot (dead) in the head.
I still see no redeeming value in this film. I have no idea what the Academy saw in this movie. I am disappointed that a group of motion picture professionals decided to put this empty plot up on a pedestal with praise and admiration. I still don’t get it.
I would love to hear feedback from my friends on this.
4 comments:
From Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime
And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!
Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
"And you may ask yourself 'My God-- what have I done!'"
I have zero tolerance for American Beauty. As a writer, I can see every seam in thier scrimshaw scam, and in fact, I am offended they think us all such dunces.
So, Bobo, it seems you and I are in agreement that we don't like the film... But not in agreement that we both UNDERSTAND the film, because I still just don't get it! Please elaborate on what you feel the "scrimshaw scam" is all about.
PS... "More cocoa Mr Burns?" "Yes!"
I hated this movie. I don't get it either.
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