The movie mirrors society.

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2000)

Lester Burnham, Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and Carolyn Burnham, Annette Bening (The American President) have a terrible relationship, a marriage "made in hell." As a result the family is completely dysfunctional. All the characters have something weird about them. The society they live in is imperfect, they live in a very imperfect world and the imaginative use of all the neuroses make it a great and suspenseful script, an Oscar winner. The actors were nominated for and Spacey won an Oscar. American Beauty also won Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Cinematography Oscars. I say it deserved them. It mirrors society extremely well. Carolyn Burnham represents the materialistic society we live in. She puts more value into her couch than she does to her husband. I found it interesting that all the furniture and scenes carry a lot of minimalism and simplicity. There is in contrast much going on with the characters. An instant classic, Sam Mendes' American Beauty, to me parallels Robert Redford's Ordinary People. Outside everything is beautiful and perfect but inside it is viciously ugly, full of lust and sin. That simplicity and the primary colors such a the red door, made me pay closer attention to the dialogues. I found the young adult neighbor weird as far as been a peeping Tom, but had a unique sense of beauty. I recommend this movie!
Favorite Scenes: the blowing autumn leaves, the red petals, the contrasting colors. The movie is a feast for the eyes. Well deserved best cinematography. Favorite Quote: Carolyn Burnham: "This is a four thousand dollar sofa upholstered in Italian silk. It is not just a couch." Lester Burnham:" IT'S JUST A COUCH!"