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"American Beauty": Initial Impression and Final Verdict.

168.10.128.185

Posted by AudioHead on May 17, 2001 at 10:17:40

Initial Impression: Overlong and boring in parts; way too talky; short on action, no significant character change; scriptwriter Ball
shot himself in the foot trying write too clever dialogue; waste of
fine acting talent. Lester made an attempt to REALLY change, and
he did partially succeed, but he ultimately floundered, reverting back to his
passive, nice self when he abstained from seducing his daughter's best
friend, thereby, negating his quest of getting something (both a highly literal and symbolic event) his newly emerging self had deeply
craved.
Then he is unceremoniously blown away by the Colonel while sitting
in his own kitchen. In the absence of any dialogue, one is left to
assume that the Colonel shot Lester because he was angry about what he
perceived as a homosexual relationship between Lester and his own son.
However, in the preceding garage scene, it seems fairly evident that the Colonel had already resolved the conflict in his mind when
he tested Lester with a come-on kiss. (There was good opportunity for
dramatic conflict earlier between the Colonel and his two gay neighbors, but this was never developed.) So if the Colonel had resolved the conflict, why did he shoot Lester? It was a cheap, contrived plot device inserted for surprise effect; after all, had we not
seen Lester's wife practicing with a pistol and was there not motive
and opportunity on her part? Nothing wrong with misdirection, just
has to be used correctly; ditto with irony, what's so ironic about about
a loser becoming just more of a loser by being killed? Viewer's intelligence need not be insulted. This film is pointless - just a
portrait of a loser who remains a loser - contrast Travis Bickel in
"Taxi Driver" and Rupert Pupkin in "The King of Comedy", these are
examples of real irony.
Final Verdict: As a reviewer, I give "American Beauty" two thumbs
down, and as a man, I give everyone associated with the making of this
film and everyone who voted for it, one middle finger up. - AH

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