Spacey, Bentley fuel fantasy of 'Beauty'

It might be possible to live in a world where there is no deep substance, where everything important lies on the surface, where all that matters is an outward image, a superficial glance. Such a place, it need not be said, would be especially frustrating and lonely (if even those feelings could be found).

This place of fantasy might be closer to home than we think - at least that is the argument of first-time film director Sam Mendes in "American Beauty."

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a middle-aged office worker with the perfect American (and perfectly American) existence. His wife, Carolyn (Annette Benning) is an independent real-estate agent, his daughter Jane (Thora Birch) dances with her friends on her high school's dance squad and his nice suburban neighborhood is filled with friends always willing to share a pleasant conversation.

Lester's problem is that nobody, not even him, is what they seem - and nobody is happy. This seemingly average "mid-life crisis" story becomes anything but typical when the Fitts family moves in to the house next door. Lester becomes friendly with the son, Ricky (newcomer Wes Bentley), who has a unique, wiser-than-his-years view of life.

With Ricky's help, Lester tries to find out what is honest and important in his dismal life. One of the bright spots, though, is his daughter's friend, Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) - lest we forget another nymphet named Hayes - who is, in his mind, the most beautiful person in the world. His desirous and sinful fantasies of Angela lead him down a road of self-serving behavior.

Mendes, a Brit, whose previous experience revolves around Broadway and the London stage, brings a fresh look to the American suburban landscape. With help from screenwriter Alan Ball and an unappologetic eye, he points out our inconsistencies and our foibles.

It is Mendes' foreign-ness that helps give him a good vantage point from which to see the silliness of this country - it is also his freshness that make his points so palateable.

It is, to the film's disadvantage, also due to this virgin quality that the film does not come across as smoothly as possible. Whereas a film by a veteran director will glide gracefully from scene to scene, "Beauty" feels pushed along by sheer story writing; sequences are oafishly placed next to each other with a disregard for our conception of time and place.

Throughout, though, solid acting drives the machine. Spacey gives one of the best, most delicate performances of his career as a man coming to terms with the bullshit of his life. He changes from happy-go-lucky to proud to wrathful with a classic elegance. He lets punch lines work themselves out without too much overdone performance.

Benning plays a sturdy opposite to Spacey's goofiness and crisis. She lets him have his scenes and waits for the right moment to steal a few seconds of greatness.

The supporting cast also stands up well against this challenging material. Suvari, who played the goody-two-shoes choir love in "American Pie," finds a deeper level to the role of "desirable teen." She flirts with the camera, and us, makes us long for her approval, and then turns and insults us. She is both shallow and wise - utterly despicable and utterly erotic at the same time.

The maverick Chris Cooper plays Colonel Fitts, Ricky's enigmatic, authoritarian father with a moderate touch that makes us want to slug him and embrace him in the same moment. Newcomer Bentley re-acts beautifully to this strong figure with a firm, natural good-ness. He seems ultra-real in this world of false fronts and lies.

Never accepting anything for what it appears to be is a tough way to live and work. Perhaps the world of "American Beauty" is fictitious, but then again, it does feel rather familiar.

09-24-99