Ninety-nine-nine was a great year for movies — arguably, in fact, one of the greatest. And “American Beauty,” a dark satire of family life, was one of the most praised. With a controversial script and a top-notch cast, it topped critic’s lists and walked away with the Best Picture Oscar.
But, 20 years later, the question lingers: Is it any good?
This week on Out of Theaters, Billy and Will watch the once-acclaimed movie with fresh eyes in an attempt to answer that question, examining its talented cast (include a certain scandal-ridden leading man), portrait of suburban hell and questionable moral stance. Billy once considered it his favorite movie, and Will named it as one of 1999’s best back in his newspapers columnist days. But times have changed, both of us are older, and Will is the father of a teenage daughter himself, just like the hero of “American Beauty,” Lester Burnham. Does that make him identify with Lester more — or much, much, much less?
Plus, Billy rewatches another acclaimed movie about an arrogant anti-hero, Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” and finds his views have shifted slightly on that film as well. And, in the spirit of the season, Will reviews the 2015 horror comedy “Krampus” and explains why you’d better hope that’s Santa coming down your chimney — and not something a whole lot worse.
