Magnifique!

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2004)

I just finished watching American Beauty tonight on DVD. I have seen little bits and pieces here and there but tonight is the first time I really sat down and devoured it to any great extent. All I can say is WOW!! Kevin Spacey gave as strong a male lead performance as I have seen in recent memory. In suport, Annette Benning and particularly Thora Birch gave tremendous performances in their own right. The picture is particularly adept at exploring the idea of Spacey's mid-life crisis and deals well with how this affects him in its various ways. The film manages to be both dark and funny at the same time which is no mean feat. I can't believe it has taken me this long to watch this film and plead to others who have not seen it to do so immediately!!! Superb.