I remember back in late 1999 hearing so much buzz about this new movie coming out called American Beauty. All of the critics were raving about it and it had a very intriguing poster. If I remember correctly the poster was a a picture of a stomach and a rose. Around this image were paragraphs of rave reviews from pretty much every major film critic and a lengthy list of critic circle awards it had won. For a film geek, this was exciting, they were selling this as the greatest movie of all time. It even went on to win a bunch of Academy Awards.
I am not knocking that movie, but when I saw it I was a little let down. It was good, had amazing performances from all the main cast and was cleverly scripted. But it didn't move me, it didn't blow me away like I had expected. I bring this up, because a movie came out a few years later that dealt with a lot of the same themes. It was a look at suburbia, family, infidelity, criminals, redemption, secrets, hopes. Like other films had done (namely American Beauty and Blue Velvet) it was a look at the underbelly of suburban life.
Little Children did exactly for me what I wanted American Beauty to do those years earlier. It blew me away. Megan and I watched it one night on DVD, I had picked it up at a used book store because I had heard good things about it and remembered it had garnered some Oscar Buzz. We started the film and were sucked into this world within the first few minutes. A lot of times people will accuse movies with narration of being lazy. This is not one of those movies. The narration actually adds another great layer to the film. It is a God voice, not of any of the characters. It gives the movie an almost surreal documentary feel. As if we are with a crew secretly filming these people. When the film ended I called a friend of mine and instead of suggesting that he watch this movie, I demanded that he come over the next evening and watch it with us again. He was unsure at first that it sounded interesting but like Megan and I the night before, within minutes new he was watching something exceptional.
Director Todd Field guides us through this suburban landscape expertly. The leads, Kate Winslet (perfect as always) and Patrick Wilson play two unhappy married people struggling with the fact that their dreams have not come true. They find each other at the playground and neighborhood pool where they routinely take their children and immediately respond to each other. They see in each other what they want in their spouses. Meanwhile, Jackie Earle Hailey; in a powerful, sad and creepy performance, is a recently released sex offender who is constantly tormented by an ex cop obsessed with running him out of their safe ideal world. Hailey is joined by Phyllis Somerville, in a heartbreaking performance as his mother, who just wants her son to be normal and in her words, "Be a good boy".
As these peoples lives intersect and slowly unravel the film builds to an emotional climax that without spoiling it will leave you haunted and conflicted and definitely discussing. This was the movie American Beauty could have been, it is a very funny, very disturbing (like Beauty) but also emotionally engaging and affecting.
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