Since we just experienced the Oscars, it got me to thinking of the Best Picture winner from 10 years ago (1999), American Beauty. I remember not liking it much the first time I saw it. I thought it was so violent and so negative and disturbing. However, after time passed and I let it settle in and thought about it some more, it started to appeal to me more. I watched it again and sure enough I loved it. There’s just so much more to it than what you see at first. Much like the trailer indicated, “Look closer” and you will see the beauty.
Yes, the violence and the disturbing elements are still there like the dysfunctional marriage and bad parenting but there’s a great deal of painful truths running throughout the story. The depiction of suburban life and corporate america are also unsettling and borderline insulting (especially coming from a British director) but once again it only hurts because there are germs of truth to it all. After a decade since its release, I firmly believe American Beauty deserved to win Best Picture.
Here’s the trailer with Thomas Newman’s wonderful music
Here’s amazing soundtrack by Thomas Newman including his haunting Theme (He should’ve won the Oscar!!!)
Here’s the famous rose petal scene where the lead characters says
”It’s the weirdest thing. It feels like I’ve been in a coma for 20 years and I’m just now waking up.”
Here’s the unforgettable ending that sealed the Oscar for the Best Picture
Don’t watch it if you’ve never seen the movie and plan to watch it.