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A peak at AMERICAN BEAUTY with Kevin Spacey
I haven't heard too much on this film, so I'll just let you hear it straight on...
American Beauty.
The basic plot, as I understand it, goes thusly:
Kevin Spacey plays Lester, a man in a loveless marriage who goes through
a midlife crisis. In this crisis, he develops a crush on his daughter
(Thora Birch)'s best friend. In an attempt to impress her, he
completely buffs himself up. According to a recent interview with
Elenor Mondale, Kevin has said "I'm going to be very naked" in this
movie. Scott Bakula, whom you do not have listed in the credits, will
also co-star. Annette Bening does play Lester's wife; Peter Gallagher
portrays either a next-door neighbor or said girl's father (the jury is
still out on that one). Kevin currently is in training for the buffed
up parts of the movie, which must wrap by the end of February/early
March as Kevin will be on Broadway in The Iceman Cometh (you don't cover
theatre, otherwise I'd give you tons of scoops regarding this; I'll be
going to see it in April) at the end of March. Anticipated release
date: end of 1999
Hope this helps even a little. Take care and keep up the excellent
work.
Sangwyn.
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Let's hope Thora's girlfriend is Mena Suvari, who is also in the cast, and the appropriate age. She is a stunning beauty, virtually unknown, but in at least four upcoming movies. I first took notice in Nowhere, a couple of years ago. Watch out for this one!
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"Very naked"? I am sooooooo there...
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I guess Harry didn't get my mail a few weeks ago. Yes, the plot concerns the aforementioned Lester who is in the grip of a mid-life crisis. But instead of buying a Porsche or hair weave, Lester regresses to his teenage years (when he presumably was last happy). Lester quits his magazine job, lifts weights, smokes pot, trades in his Lexus for a Camaro, gets a job at the local fast-food joint and lusts after his daughter's best friend. Chris Cooper plays the "Colonel" in a small, but pivotal role. Bakula plays one half of the "Jims" -- the gay couple next door. Gallagher plays the real estate tycoon that Lester's wife has a brief affair with.
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More ...
The script is from Alan Ball, writer and survivor of "Cybill." His script was one of the hottest reads in Hollywood in late '98 (right behind Charlie Kaufman's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") and Ball is considered a new hot talent -- he has been sought after for many high profile projects since setting up AB.
This is director Sam Mendes first feature and the film has gone over schedule by several weeks. Close ups seem to be the first casualty of the overage. However, dailies do show the steady hand of DP Conrad Hall at work. The big question the dailies ask is very basic. Is Spacey correctly cast as a passive type who has let too many years of his life drift by before receiving a karmic wake-up call?
And Lane need not worry -- child molestors (or would-be child molestors) are not let off easy in this comic tragedy. -
I have a very bad very feeling about this project. The cast is very reassuring, but I hope it doesn't play out like the soft-porn-ish film that it sounds like. If so, it would be quite a tarnish on Kevin Spacey's great track record.
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Moriarty owes me an apology. I gave a brief rundown that this was about Kevin Spaceys character going through a midlife crisis, and getting a makeover and he just about called me crazy. I'll be waiting Moriarity!
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Well, it's funny Mike, but I have the exact opposite feeling about this movie. I'm very excited about it. I think "American Beauty" could very well break new ground for Kevin Spacey. I just have the feeling that we have only an inkling of what this artist can do, and I'm hoping this film will show us his creativity expanding even further.
I know how the plot "sounds", but I can imagine that the film will be very different than what we *think* it will be(Spacey insists that "it's very very funny"); however, no matter how the film turns out overall, I think we can expect some sharp work from Spacey regardless. It will be interesting to see what he does with this opportunity. -
I'd just like to say that I'm looking forward to seeing Bakula in this film. I think that he is vastly unappreciated as an actor (though I'm somewhat biased as he is my favourite actor)and I hope that, one day, he'll get that mystical 'break' into Big League/A List LaLa Land.
It'll be interesting to see what Scott does with this character - he has said in past interviews that if he was ever approached for a gay role, he would have qualms about portraying an overly flamboyant character.
Does anybody have a rough idea of the amount of screen-time that Scott has, and who will play the other 'Jim'? And does anybody know who Robert Beltran is playing?
Congratulations to Kevin Spacey for winning the Best Actor Laurence Olivier award for ICEMAN COMETH. -
This was in Marilyn Beck's column today. (Feb. 26, 1999)
"Scott Bakula reveals the 'Beauty' part"
Scott Bakula and Sam Robards play a gay couple in DreamWorks' upcoming"American Beauty," with Annette Bening and Kevin Spacey, but Scott says we shouldn't expect a stereotypical gay portrayal. "These are two men who live
together. It's not like we're attempting any of what people would call 'gayisms.' It's a wonderful script about what goes on behind closed doors in this tremendously dysfunctional little neighborhood, and the only
functional couple in the whole story are the two gay men." -
This was in Marilyn Beck's column today. (Feb. 26, 1999)
"Scott Bakula reveals the 'Beauty' part"
Scott Bakula and Sam Robards play a gay couple in DreamWorks' upcoming"American Beauty," with Annette Bening and Kevin Spacey, but Scott says we shouldn't expect a stereotypical gay portrayal. "These are two men who live
together. It's not like we're attempting any of what people would call 'gayisms.' It's a wonderful script about what goes on behind closed doors in this tremendously dysfunctional little neighborhood, and the only
functional couple in the whole story are the two gay men." -
That sure changed didn't it.
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