American Beauty (1999)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169547/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ycmmJ6rxA8

BEFORE THE VIEWING

I was 12 when "American Beauty" hit theaters. Although I had to wait until it hit home video release, I still caught it early enough to be rooting for it by the time Oscar season rolled around for the year. You would think that a 12-year-old would be most drawn to and affected by the younger folks in the story - the angsty daughter, the mysterious boy next door, the narcissistic best friend. To an extent, I was - and I expect to swoon a bit over Ricky even when I view this film in a few minutes.

But the story that always seemed so distinct to me was Lester's. Maybe it was just because Kevin Spacey was, and is, an incredible actor. Maybe it was just effective marketing. You wouldn't think that a mid-life crisis story would really capture the interest and enthusiasm of a 12-year-old girl, but somehow, it did.

Even then, I could see that the supporting cast of this film was rock-solid. Allison Janney, Chris Cooper, Annette Bening, Peter Gallagher...this movie was populated with faces I recognized from other, excellent things.

I also responded to the cinematography and overall style; slow, steady fantasy shots, pulled-back frames that conveyed the true emptiness of rooms and emptiness of lives with so much potential unlived.

In the intervening years, I get the sense that a lot of folks finally shook their heads, "coming to" after being slowly mesmerized by this film. On the other side of 1999, some of the magic seemed to dissipate. "American Beauty" fell into the bucket of award-winning films that we ended up facepalming ourselves for handing out (think "Shakespeare in Love"). For me, though, this film has always been a moody, artistic achievement that left me happy-crying at the end.

Let's see if that's still the case.

AFTER THE VIEWING

It still makes me happy-cry at the end.

This movie comes down to the characters for me. Part of it is how well they are crafted; they're all flawed, but you don't downright hate any of them. They all have redeeming qualities, but you don't love any of them. This movie doesn't judge its characters. It merely seeks to show you this tiny slice of suburban life. Honestly.

The other thing I love about these characters is how relatable they are. Ever wished you were anything but ordinary? Ever felt like life could crush you into silence? Ever felt sedated, and then suddenly something jolted you back to life? Ever admired a person for having the same goals and values? Ever wanted to quit a job and not give a shit? Ever psyched yourself up by blaring a great song in your car? Ever been caught up in a moment that looked totally mundane from the outside, but meant everything to you on the inside? Yeah, me too.

Of course, there are other great things about this film. Until this viewing, I never really unpacked the rose petals featured so heavily. They start out in the hands of Carolyn, symbolic of her attention to detail, her outer beauty, her poise. But they quickly become a central element in Lester's fantasies about Angela, suggesting sensuality, the blossom of her youth, the color of passion.

The music, too, deserves some kudos: a mix of classic rock, vintage crooning, and understated original scoring that seems to arrest your heart, but not to overwhelm it.

During the viewing, I ended up typing out several quotes - some wretched, some insightful. But I'm not going to list them out here, because honestly, they hit super close to home. But I will leave you the same way that Lester did, by telling you that some things in life - movies, a bag in the wind, a well-timed pint, a long conversation - can leave you thinking, "...I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life..."

And I feel pretty grateful for this film.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

10 down. 288 to go.

Always (1989)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096794/

Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxMZnKm-kAw

BEFORE THE VIEWING

So this isn't something I tend to share, but the internet is super private so here it is: my parents are divorced. The divorce was brutal. I was maybe 12 when things started souring in the house, but it reached its peak a few years later and by the time I turned 16, my parents were parting ways. The divorce dragged on through a series of legal proceedings that didn't stop until I was almost a sophomore in college.

But there was a time when my parents weren't so resentful, and I have some great memories attached to those days. One of those great memories was watching "Always" with my mom and dad.

This isn't a rom com, but it is romantic. And it is comedic. It's also about a dead guy, so there's obviously some drama, too. And even though romantic love is a big theme in this film, it manages to include a lot about work, friendship, mourning, sacrifice, and healing. It's a bit of a genre-bender in that way, although I prefer to just categorize it as a damn fine movie.

The whole cast is solid, of course, but I'm especially excited to see John Goodman in a role that is sometimes sloppy, sometimes stern, but always full of heart. I'll also see Audrey Hepburn circa 1989, in what I think is the last film she participated in before passing away in 1993.


AFTER THE VIEWING

Damn, this movie holds up so beautifully over time. From the opening scene, all the way through the closing credits, "Always" makes me giddy...and sad...and full of admiration.

I forget that it was helmed by Steven Spielberg, who (heh) ALWAYS excels at creating a well-rounded film. It's not as grandiose as "Jurassic Park", and it hasn't got the gravitas of "Schindler's List", but "Always" has a way of hitting me right in the feels, over and over again.

As a kid, I don't think I ever fully understood how tragic Pete's death was. It comes on the heels of him making some big, sweeping promises to the woman he loves, and happens right in front of his best friend's eyes. The tragedy of that, and of him having to come back and somehow recover and move on alongside them, creates a lot of powerful moments throughout the film.

And his mentor, Ted Baker, has never been such an interesting character to me. He always seemed a bit lovestruck and a bit on afterthought to me, but this time I tried to focus on his part in the film, and how good of a man he was, and I realized that there's been a lot of proof of that in this movie that I somehow blocked - probably because I spent so much time rooting for Pete.

Something else I noticed this time around that plays heavily into why this movie is so distinct for me as a love story is that it doesn't have a glamorous backdrop. These characters aren't ambling through Central Park or surrounded by glittering, elaborately-decorated backgrounds; this is a blue-collar crowd tromping through military-style barracks, hangers, and bars. The most intense scenes in the film take place inside of airplane cockpits. There's sweat and oil and fire all around, and that's just the way it is.

The last film I reviewed in this blog was "Along Came Polly", and as far as I'm concerned, "Always" is far superior to that film in pretty much every way imaginable. "Always" is a well-balanced, well-crafted, well-performed piece of cinema, and it gets the first 5 out of 5 rating I've given out. It's hard to find anything wrong with this film.


Overall rating: 5 out of 5

9 down. 289 to go.