Sheer brilliance

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2000)

[This comment contains spoilers.]
"American Beauty" is a perfect film. The cast, the script, the score, the directing well, everything is perfect. I hardly know what to say about this film because even though I cannot stop thinking about it (scenes from the film keep playing in my head and everything from advertising to a journalist's column in a newspaper can make me remember certain scenes from the film) I find myself almost at a loss for words. This is because "American Beauty" is true. I have never seen a film that is so true. The shallowness of Angela which she hides under a mask of sexual experience, which is a lie, and then a glimpse of depth in her person, a hope for depth, when she actively takes interest in another person's life by asking Lester (Spacey) how he's doing. And that is just one example of the magnificent characterization in this film. How the film portrays Lester's metamorphosis is even more impressive. And by the end, when he realizes that what's important is his wife and daughter, not the image of his old self, it's completely breathtaking. Of course, without Lester chasing the old ghost of himself, youth lost, he would never have learnt that. And it's sad that he had to die right after feeling happy and fulfilled. And when Lester tells the audience of the never-ending last second of life, it's truly beautiful. He talks of the feel of his grandmother's skin, about Carolyn (Bening) and then he tells us he saw Jane and Jane. I think it's beautiful how he mentions her twice.
Naturally, I could talk about every character's metamorphosis, but then this "review" would be too long to ever be read so I'll stop there even though I'd love to talk about the Burnhams' neighbours as well.
Does my comment make "American Beauty" seem too serious? Well, fear not, because it's also one of the funniest films I've seen the last few years (together with the very funny and brilliant "Fight Club"). The humour and jokes ranges from the sophisticated and witty to the old "Ooops, tripped on somebody's foot there!" Pure brilliance. Awe-inspiring performances from Spacey (of course), Bening, Bentley, and Cooper. Impressive performances from Birch and Suvari. The script is perfect and the directing likewise. "American Beauty" is a film that will make you laugh and (maybe) cry, but most importantly; it will make you feel and think. 10/10