American Beauty R
Sam Mendes directs a stellar but relatively new cast, including a young Thora Birch (in the role of the goth), in this satire of suburban life. When a hallucinating father, Lester, pretends to see the hot blonde cheerleader, Angela, at his daughter's school as a sex object, all Hell breaks loose, in this sometimes dark, sometimes brilliant story. The script and pacing are expert. Best picture of the year 1999. Hands down. It so personified what it was like living in 1999, with all the Y2K paranoia and the consumer driven sex on TV crap. This movie could not be done today. So many people have imitated it since that it has become pathetic. Here is the original, which itself is a retelling of the suburban nuclear family sex comedies and dramas of the 1980s, as though the nerdy Father had been one of those dorks in one of those previous flicks. The flower scene has actually been riffed half as many times as the poolside scene in Fast Times.
Review by Adam Brownwe
Review by Adam Brownwe
Ah, the rose petals all over the girl is actually on the poster. Yep, it was the most recognized illustration to actually be riffed from art books, in this movie, and it goes mainstream. Everyone has done this gag. The most messed up of which was a really old guy dancing in the flowers.
ReplyDelete