Free 'Dreams' U Akira Kurosawa's '90s entry screens tonight at Lorch. Soetically filmed, these 8 scenarios express the beauty of the egendary Kurosawa. 7 p.m. Utie Stchfian &ifg Monday in Daily Arts: Check out Steve Gertz's large concert review of SuLer Furry Animals. Friday September 24, 1999 9 A Bland' 'Mumford' shows littfle flair Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer Lawrence Kasdan, in ' his time since leaving the University, has focused his directing career - unlike the epic adventure stories he wrote for "Return of the Jedi" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" - on small stories where maybe nothing much happens t, as a wise musician once said, a ot goes on. He's done quite well for himself with these tales thus far: "The Big Chill" is the kind of movie your parents force you to watch because they love it so much and you should too, while "Grand Canyon" garnered critical praise if not box office success. Now Kasdan has made Spacey, Bentley fuel fantasy of'Beauty' By Aaron Rich Dah Arts Writer It might be possible to live in a world where there is no deep substance, where everything important lies on the surface, where all that matters is an outward image, a superficial glance. Such a place, it need not be said, would be espe- cially frustrating and lonely (if even those feelings could be found). This place of fantasy might be closer to home than we think - at least that is the argument of first-time film director Sam Mendes in "American Beauty." Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a middle-aged office worker with the per- feet American (and perfectly American) existence. His wife, Carolyn (Annette Benning) is an independent real-estate agent, his daughter Jane (Thora Birch) dances with her friends on her high Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures Doc Mumford (Loren Dean) and Alfre Woodard take a moment to pause in University alum Lawrence Kasdan's "Mumford." "Mumford," a Mumford At Showcase and State small-town affair through and through. It's a tale of the town of Mumford's people and their idyll-shattering psychological problems that they air in the presence of the conveniently named Doc Mumford (Loren Dean). Like Kasdan's previ- Oh, sure, there are the usual reve- lations. The rich kid is lonely, the fat pharmacist has sexual hangups that make it impossible for any woman to fulfill him, the criminal lawyer seeks therapy for the sake of seeking and is summarily expelled from Doc's office. And - it is no crime in revealing this, as the trailers for "Mumford" already, foolishly, have - Doc himself is revealed to be a shyster, a fraud, a capital gainer at the expense of others. This not-so-shocking stunner is let loose midway through the film, but it's almost anti-climactic since prac- tically every audience member knows it going in. We're treated to the obligatory sob story about why Doc changed his identity, left his old life behind and became a literal quack. Kasdan encourages us to care and root him on in his quest for Sofie (Hope Davis), one of his patients, as we care and root on the remainder of the cast as they find love and happi- ness with each other: Skip Skipperton (an unusually restrained Jason Lee), Lily (Alfre Woodard), Nessa (Zooey Deschanel), Martin (Jason Ritter), Henry (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Althea (Mary McDonnell). Some of these people are mildly fun, although it's clear that Kasdan was reaching for a way to keep us from walking out on the movie by handing each character a special, carefully planned out quirk. One makes a surrogate companion sextoy, while another is obsessed with mag- azines. There is a light in this morass of boredom, though: Pharmacist Henry has old-fashioned fantasies that seem to take place when men were big burly drifters and women were buxom and lived in boarding houses, ripe for the taking. We're made privy to these and they are at once laugh- ably good-natured and as prim as pornography can be, amusing and providing a much-needed break from day-to-day life in Mumford. Dean and Davis do nothing to save the film. Dean has spent nearly ten years trying to become a true leading man, failing to live up to promise after "Billy Bathgate." "Mumford" is not going to save him, not by a long shot. He's pleasant enough in demeanor and face, to be sure, but nothing more than that. He's like a blank page. There's nothing going on behind his eyes that we can see, there's nothing to draw us into his world and his motivations. Davis, meanwhile, whines and wanders her way through "Mumford" pausing every now and then to look particu- larly pathetic. Even when she's try- ing to convey elation, she looks like she's five seconds away from com- plete collapse. Granted, her charac- ter is somewhat ill, but by the end of the film she's supposedly feeling "one hundred percent better." Evidence? Nil. "Mumford" is, like its namesake small town, quaint and attractive in its way. But when it starts to become painfully clear that its citizens are probably overly dramatic and that the citizens outshine the hero to the point that he never was, never is and never will be the guy we want to see succeed, that's when it's time to close up shop. "Mumford" commits the worst deadly sin of cinema: It is not enter- tainingly bad and it is not entertain- ingly good. The laughs are few, as are the tears. After so many wonder- ful movies, Kasdan has finally suc- ceeded in making one that is square- ly uninspired. American Beauty At Showcase school's dance squad and his nice suburban neigh- borhood is filled with friends always willing to share a pleasant conversation. Lester's prob- lem is that the American suburban landscape With help from screenwriter Alan Ball and an .unappologetic eye. he points out our inconsistencics and our Ioibies. it is Mendes' obreign-ness that helps give him a good vantage point rom which to see the silliness of this c(.untry -- it is also his freshness that make his points so palateable. It is, to the film's disadvantage, also due to this virgin quality that the film does not come across as smoothly as possible. Whereas a film by a vet-ran director will glide gracefully from scene to scene, "Beauty" feels pushed along by sheer story writing; sequences are oafishly placed next to each other wkkh a disregard for our conception of time wid place. Throughout, though, solid acting dri- yes the machine. Spacey gives one of the best, most delicate performances of his career as a man coming to terms with the bullshit of his life. He changes from happy-go-lucky to proud to wrathfil with a classic elegance. He lets punch lines work themselves out without too much overdone performance. Benning plays a sturdy opposite to Spacey's goofiness and crisis. She lets him have his scenes and waits for the right moment to steal a few seconds of greatness The supporting cast also stands up well against this challenging material. Suvari, who played the goody-two-shoes choir love in "American Pie!' finds a deeper level to the role of "desirable teen." She flirts with the camera, and us, makes us long for her approval, and then turns and insults us. She is both shallow and wise - utterly despicable and utter- ly erotic at the same time. The maverick Chris Cooper plays Colonel Fitts, Ricky's enigmatic, author- itarian father with a moderate touch that makes us want to slug him and embrace him in the same moment. Newcomer Bentley re-acts beautifdlly to this strong figure with a firm, natural good-ness. ie seems ultra-real in this world of false fronts and lies. Never accepting anything for what it appears to be is a tough way to live and work. Perhaps the world of "American Beauty" is fictitious, but then again, it does feel rather familiar. nobody, not even him, is what they seem - and nobody is happy. This seemingly average "mid-life crisis" story becomes anything but typi- cal when the Fitts family moves in to the house next door. Lester becomes friend- ly with the son, Ricky (newcomer Wes Bentley), who has a unique, wiser-than- his-years view of life. With Ricky's help, Lester tries to find out what is honest and important in his dismal life. One of the bright spots, though, is his daughter's friend, Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) - lest we forget another nymphet named Hayes - who is, in his mind, the most beautiful person in the world. His desirous and sinful fan- tasies of Angela lead him down a road of self-serving behavior. Mendes, a Brit, whose previous expe- rience revolves around Broadway and the London stage, brings a fresh look to ous work, there is a protagonist (Mumford) but he tends to be overshadowed by the greater ensemble of characters that has been assembled. Unfortunately for "Mumford," the overshadowing plays more like a total eclipse of the brain. There is lit- Ve in the movie that is compelling, interesting or, dare I say it, comedic, as "Mumford" is being marketed as a comedy. Read Daily Arts. escape... October 7 -17 "' call 764-0450 for info '******************* AN SALE THIS FRIDAY SEPT. 24 **********************K TuedayNight NW. aa D RESUIN CENTERI 7:00 pm! 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