Subject: Re: American Beauty
From: Gene (pariah1980@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon Feb 21 2000 - 13:12:39 EST
--- Scottie Bowman <rbowman@indigo.ie> wrote:
>
> My younger son spent three of his happiest years
>
> in North Western. Although more
> Anglo-chauvinist
> than the late Lord Nelson, to the crowd of (only
> very)
> slightly ambivalent Americanophiles in this
> house,
> he is America's great explainer, apologist &
> champion.
> Last week, he & his girl - who teaches film in
> UCC -
> very nearly walked out of 'American Beauty' in
> disgust.
>
> This, they tell me, is a collection of
> transatlantic cliches
> - the compulsive, Mary Tyler Moore-type wife,
> the 'wise child', the sad middle-ager who
> establishes
> his integrity by confessing to shower wanking -
> assembled by a smart ass, luvvie Englishman (Sam
> Mendes)
> with neither sympathy nor understanding of his
> subject.
>
> History & the circumstances of life in a
> cosmopolitan
> American city may have forced Yanks to be more
> circumspect than Europeans in their social
> dealings.
> To us, their 'niceness' is often mistaken for
> naivety.
> And it often seems to leave them unnecessarily
> self-critical.
> A film like 'American Beauty' plays to this
> masochism
> & is accepted ruefully as the truth about
> themselves.
>
> Rubbish, say Siobhan & Jeremy. Don't swallow
> the snide mockery of someone flitting in from
> London's West End & who hasn't actually grasped
> the first clue of the people he's talking about.
>
> That's what *they* say, anyway. I guess, as
> usual,
> I'll just have to wait for the video.
>
They can say what they want. I laughed my ass off and
even almost cried a few times. Remember, even Holden
likes stories that are funny once in a while:) And
I've always felt that if you've lost your sense of
humour, what good are you?
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