Top Ten Greatest Films of All Time: #8
AMERICAN BEAUTY
The number eight film will come as a surprise to many, but it has been grossly under-appreciated since it’s release in 1999. Sam Mendes’ American Beauty was one of the last “great films” ever made.
Hollywood went through a rough patch in the early 2000’s when it came to making quality movies and has still not fully recovered. We still live in a world where for every good film made, there are four Transformer movies ready to ruin the day.
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American Beauty was a worthy end to the best decade in film history. In a time where art house style film-making was peaking, American Beauty stuck out because of superlative acting performances and one of the best original screenplays of all time.
Kevin Spacey won the Best Actor Academy Award along with four more Oscars, including Best Picture, Screenplay and Director for Mendes. Yet despite all of the acclaim and hardware to back it up, American Beauty has been lost in the shuffle of great 1990’s films.
Spacey’s performance is haunting, capturing an anti-establishment attitude that resonated in the late 1990’s with other films like The Matrix and Office Space. Spacey’s portrayal of a suburban father who, upon being pushed to the brink of his sanity, must fight to change his life for the better, is stunning. Annette Bening, also nominated for Best Supporting Actress, anchors a great cast, including Chris Cooper, Allison Janney and a young Wes Bentley.
Dream sequences by Spacey’s character drove home an award for Best Cinematography and is a prime example for any fan of the art of motion picture photography.
But the biggest selling point for American Beauty is the screenplay; I believe that it is among the best original screenplays ever penned.
A modern tale that mirrors a Shakespearean tragedy, American Beauty is a film that moves you to the point where only one viewing is necessary.
However, the film comes off as cocky or overstated at times (particularly an instance with a plastic bag and a video camera). I agree with critics that at some times throughout it appears as though Mendes’ movie is talking down to the audience. This is should not be a hindrance to what I assure you will be a wonderful viewing experience, it only keeps American Beauty from climbing higher on my list.
Make sure to check in next Friday for the seventh installment in my list of the Greatest Films of All Time.