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American Beauty (1999)
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Movie Review by BillyBob
February 11th, 2008
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American Tooty-Fruity
Of course, everyone is more than familiar with the term 'Homophobic'.
Well, how about the term 'Hetero-phobic' ? In my opinion, I'd say that 'American Beauty' (or 'AB' for short) is 'Hetero-phobic'. It is. The hetero-phobia contained in the story is not that easy to detect at first, but believe me, it's there, alright. You'll have to give me a minute here to explain.
The hetero-phobic message in 'AB' is quite cleverly hidden inside the main story. I don't believe that this anti-heterosexual message just happened to materialize in the story unintentionally. It was most definitely put there deliberately.
Here's how I see it.
Every single heterosexual in 'AB' is portrayed as being dysfunctional and/or abnormal in their behaviour. It's true. From the maladjusted father (who's having a serious mid-life crisis and is hell-bent on seducing a 16 yr. old friend of his daughter's), to his dizzy, neurotic wife (who's, literally, screwing around with her co-worker, right under her husband's nose), to their ghastly daughter (who looks and acts like something straight out of 'The Night of the Living Dead'), to the daughter's snooty girlfriend (who's a pathological liar, and nothing but a vain, little piece of trashy jail-bait), to the family next-door, whose father is some screwed-up, gun-fanatic, ex-marine, to his pathetic, dominated wife (who is such a nobody, who is so invisible that she makes a wall-flower look like the real thing), to their wacko son (who is such a total retardo that he actually gets his jollies (personal fulfillment?) out of watching plastic bags get caught up in the wind and dust. He painstakingly films this nonsense, adds a haunting soundtrack to it and believes that this crap is something mystical, meaningful and deep).
Oh, brother!! Have you ever seen such a motley crew of screwy idiots as this before!? In every, single scene everyone is always at odds with one another. Of course, that's only when they're not tearing out each other's throats. And these are the morons that are portrayed in 'AB' as your typical American heterosexuals. 'Cause, let's face it, typical American heterosexuals are, to say the least, dysfunctional and, perhaps, even dangerous. Well, that's the message that I see 'AB' is giving us.
OK......That was the heterosexuals in 'AB' (what a mess, eh?)......NOW!!....Let's look carefully at the homosexuals. In 'AB' they are 2 adult males. Is this fair representation? And they are portrayed as the 'perfect' couple. Oh, yes they are! Look! They go to work 'together', all smiley and content with each other. And, Look! They go running 'together'. Oh, my, Look! They just can't seem to get enough of being in each other's company. And, LOOK!!! Take a 'REAL GOOD LOOK' at this one. It'll kill you. They go knocking on their neighbours' doors 'together' (naturally), all smiles (as usual) handing out frickin' Welcome Wagon baskets of fruit. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!! It makes me want to puke and defecate, both, at the same time! BLECH!!!
This has got to be the phoniest, most pretentious and biased portrayal of any specific group of society that I have ever seen. In my opinion this is gay propaganda. It is being disguised (as propaganda sometimes is) in the deceptive package of 'AB'. It is clearly telling me that homosexuals are 'normal', happy people who have 'got-it-all-together', while heterosexuals are 'abnormal', miserable, backstabbing bozos. It's true! This movie is selling homosexuality as the preferred sexuality. It may be subtle. But it's definitely there. It is almost subliminal in the way that it's been cleverly inserted into the story. It's something that you really need to think through before it actually hits you.
If there had been one (just one) hetero couple, or single (straight) person in 'AB' that had been portrayed as being as 'normal', as chirpy, as squeaky clean as the homos were depicted, (there wasn't one) then I wouldn't have put up a beef here. I wouldn't. Or, I would have been more than satisfied if the 'AB' cast of characters had included a few dysfunctional gays (they do exist, don't they?) into this lop-sided and sexually-biased equation. I think 'AB' deserves to be trashed. It isn't worthy of any 5 star ratings. Not when you realize what a fake and a sham it truly is.
And if anyone wishes to call my review Homophobic, then they must also agree that 'AB' is Hetero-phobic. You can't say that one is 'gender preference'-phobic and the other one isn't. Well, sure you can say that, if you wanna be a hypocrite.
But, besides all that, the points that I have brought up in this review are valid ones which show a real sense of close observation. I think it's really nauseating how people have, literally, fallen over themselves to praise 'AB". I think 'AB' stinks!!!
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 | Suzanne
Feb 11, 2008 2:00 PM
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I am beginning to enjoy reading the BillyBob rant.
Im not going to say I agree that this anti-hetero msg was put there deliberately, but I do see your point.
Each one of the characters is sexually maladjusted most definitely. Except for the homosexual characters which we do not actually know for sure how well their sex life is going. Maybe they're just better at hiding their personal lives? Most homosexuals do have to be careful depending on the rules and regulations of each state.
The tagline says "...look closer..." but maybe you should step back a few feet. |
 | Andy
Feb 11, 2008 3:40 PM
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I've always felt the message of this movie was kind of simple. What we see as normal doesn't always work in the real world. What is the idea of the American family is anything but perfect. The gay part of the story just shows that alternatives can work.
Take the teenage love story of the film. That's a heterosexual relationship and its not shown in a bad light. The point of American Beauty was that "different" doesn't mean bad. I think you should stop looking at it as "gay and straight" and see it for what it is, people.
That said, it's an okay movie. Sam Mendes did better work in Road to Peredition. |
 | Hayley
Apr 21, 2008 4:10 PM
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Hey there.. I think you should give the film another chance.
I think Andy is right, Jane and Rikki (the young couple) seem to have a pretty good relationship together.
Also maybe I missed the fact, but you don't take into account that the character Col. Frank Fitts is a closet homosexual, and his experiences in life have reduced his family life to what it is as in the film. If you watch the film again, the things he says about homosexuals are probably what he has been taught to think in the army when he was younger.
Here's a quote from the writer Alan Ball, pretty much says what the story is about - 'It is true that the two Jims are easily the most well-adjusted people in the movie--and therefore the most boring. And that was the whole point--to make them the least exotic, the most traditional. Their flip side is the Colonel, whose deep, deep denial of his own nature leads him to violence. The movie is in part about how homophobia is based in fear and repression and what fear and repression can do.'
If you want to read more, check out - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2000_March_28/ai_60948002 - for the whole article.
Anyway, chow for now! :) |
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Feb 13, 2008 9:29 PM
I appreciate that you do see my point.
What you say makes sense. Perhaps I need to step back a few feet. Maybe it would help if I gave 'AB' another viewing.