Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by nobody (i) on May 17, 2001 at 14:48:02

In Reply to: "American Beauty": Initial Impression and Final Verdict. posted by AudioHead on May 17, 2001 at 10:17:40:

I think you may have missed the point. That the lead character did not undergo some contrived transformation, as is really much more typical in movies, and instead did indeed flounder can be seen as just as strong a statement as it would have been had he gone through the typical two hours and you're a better person transformations so common in movies, yet so uncommon in life. I saw the movie as more reflective of society. Rather than telling us where society should or should not go, it shows us where much of American society is. The fantasies about young girls and the homophobia are two obvious examples of common traits of American society today. Throw in an unhappy marriage, generational misunderstanding, and a love-hate relationship with materialism and you're hitting pretty close to many homes.

I do agree that the whole plot with the Colonel wasn't particularly well-developed. Still, I thought the movie was pretty good over-all. If you were looking for more action and something less talky, you were obviously looking in the wrong place.