An unnerving question but someone's gotta ask it.

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I admit I also don't know much about OJ Simpson, but I rarely ever make assumptions unless I feels there's lots of proof (circumstantial or not), like when I saw Zodiac. I'm pretty convinced Leigh was the killer.


But my point is I only asked the question because if I mention I saw American Beauty I don't want anybody getting mad if I could have avoided it.


Interesting movie, almost perfect. Some little logical errors in the last five minutes killed the A+.



It's not something I even think about. There's a good chance that someone involved with your favorite movie, TV show, band, or sports team is a bad person and you don't even know. Kevin Spacey gives one of my favorite performances in American Beauty and Lester Burnham is one of my favorite characters. If we find out one day that he's a serial killer the performance and the character remain the same.



I do not mind watching most films that may or may not involve an actor/director/writer that has has a questionable past and or present. There are a few actors that bother me just because of the things they have done in their personal life. It is just difficult for me to get past sometimes for the ones that do bother me. However I do not rate or judge a film on that aspect.

Instead for a moment though we think about other forms of art. Would you want a print of something Hitler painted in your home hanging on the wall? Lets say you looked at a painting you found at a yard sale and loved it and later found out it was done by Hitler. I am not talking monetary here as it is just a cheap print, but even then to me it would seem macabre. Would you keep it hanging up?

With movies - To me it is personal preference and as long as one is not celebrating or condoning awful acts go enjoy your entertainment (or not) as you see fit.
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“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton



It's more of a question of timing and taste, pertaining specifically to the coincidences between Spacey's personality and the plot of the movie.



The trick is not minding
It’s been a long while since I’ve seen American Beauty, but I remember thoroughly enjoying it when it was first released. It came out at time when I was still beginning to take films seriously (since 1996), and I followed the Oscars religiously, and it captures my attention. It occupies a special time for me.



I think it's okay to not watch someone because you know they did something bad, even if you can guess that a lot of other actors probably have, too. Knowing for sure is a little different, ethically, especially since it's more an aggregate thing (IE: if you watch five movies the odds of their being a horrible person in it are very high, but the odds of it being any one particular person might be low).



I think it's okay to not watch someone because you know they did something bad, even if you can guess that a lot of other actors probably have, too. Knowing for sure is a little different, ethically, especially since it's more an aggregate thing (IE: if you watch five movies the odds of their being a horrible person in it are very high, but the odds of it being any one particular person might be low).

I am certain of that, but people are still missing the point. Can we focus on the specifics on American Beauty, please? Watching a movie about a pedophile, played by a pedophile. That's what I want to focus on and whether or not there's taste involved there.



I am certain of that, but people are still missing the point. Can we focus on the specifics on American Beauty, please? Watching a movie about a pedophile, played by a pedophile. That's what I want to focus on and whether or not there's taste involved there.
The specifics of the film don't change my answer.

In any case, if the charges against Spacey are true, Mena Suvari wouldn't have been one of his victims anyway.



Sorry, didn't meant to derail, I just saw several people make the "lots of actors have done awful things" point and I wanted to note that knowing it for a fact occupies a very different position, ethically, then just assuming it based on a large number of people being involved.

Carry on.

I can certainly agree that the film's themes lining up with the accusations could reasonably make things even less comfortable than usual for someone wrestling with these questions, for sure.



We've gone on holiday by mistake
There would be no end to this, like Weinstein has tons of great produced films that he probably behaved badly on.

Its just better if they clean up their act going forward and I think that's what's happening.
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Sorry, didn't meant to derail, I just saw several people make the "lots of actors have done awful things" point and I wanted to note that knowing it for a fact occupies a very different position, ethically, then just assuming it based on a large number of people being involved.

Carry on.

I can certainly agree that the film's themes lining up with the accusations could reasonably make things even less comfortable than usual for someone wrestling with these questions, for sure.

Maybe that added to it when I saw the movie last night, because it was such a weird movie for the first half, and then when people started acting normal that's when the deep personal scars came in. Evangelion be damned.



There would be no end to this, like Weinstein has tons of great produced films that he probably behaved badly on.
I think there's a key ethical distinction if he's in jail and unable to benefit financially from people buying the films he produced.



We've gone on holiday by mistake
Yea fair point.



I agree with the general sentiment that finding a good stopping point is hard, though, at least once you go beyond direct benefits. IE: if he somehow avoids conviction, I can see someone not wanting to buy anything he produced and would get a direct amount of money from. But if it's something like "if I stream this on Netflix the viewership numbers are slightly higher which in turn might lead to a better negotiating position that might make him more money later," that's where I think we get into slippery slope territory.



mattiasflgrtll6's Avatar
The truth is in here
O.J. Simpson is pretty damn hilarious in the Naked Gun movies, regardless of what he did. His goofy mishaps even work on another level, since you subconsciously think he deserves all that's happening to him.



He was accused of trying to seduce Anthony Rapp, who was just 14 at the time, while drunk. There have been other accusations since, more than a dozen total. He was actually charged with felony sexual assault at one point, though not convicted.

One of the more significant things about the situation is that he didn't really deny it, but instead said he didn't remember and apologized:


Naturally, the fact that he apologized and seems to think it's plausible (even if he's telling the truth about not remembering it) has been widely treated as a de facto admission, particularly when combined with the sheer number of accusers.



I tried looking up charges about Spacey. I seen one where a 18 year old in a restaurant said he groped him, but charges were dropped. I know there was one incident at a party with someone who was a minor. But nothing as bad IMO as Bill Crosby.



I suppose I'd technically agree, though not-as-bad-as-Cosby is a low bar to clear. Drunkenly seducing a 14-year-old, even if all the other charges are false (which seems implausible), suggests at the very least a guy with a substance abuse problem that makes him capable of doing all sorts of awful things he can't control or remember. And that's the best-case scenario.



It was a 14 year old? I was thinking a 17 year old was involved. So then I can understand a bit more why KeyserCorleone would have a problem watching American Beauty. I'd watch it again, but that's just me. Actually the other day I seen some old 1980s comedy, Home Alone 2, with Donald Trump having a walk on part, now that put a damper on the movie for me! But I still had a good time watching it.