...Look Closer...and You Will Get One Strange Yet Intense Movie! :)

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 2000)

Okay, this a very strange movie. Usually in films, they have characters who start off with a complete downfall, but things turn out better in the end. Well...this movie presents just the opposite of that!

First, here's the MAIN plot: Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey who won an Academy Award for Best Actor) and Carolyn Burnham (Annette Benning) are the idea husband and wife...well, that's what people think. On the outside they are happily married and totally devoted to each other, but deep down inside, their marriage is falling apart quickly and their daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), is anything, but "daughter-of-the-year". As Lester's marriage to Carolyn shatters into pieces, so does his life. That is until he meets Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), an teenage aspiring model and daughter Jane's best-friend. Since meeting Angela at the school's basketball game, Lester has dreamed of Angela with a blend of rose petals and sexual fanatasies. His obsession with Angela may boost his confidence...a little...yet fate is still after him!
Well, that's the main plot. There are a few branches added to the plot. Here they are:
- Carolyn Burnham is miserable with her marriage to Lester and her career as a real estate agent isn't all fun and games anymore. For pleasure and happiness, she turns to her bussiness rival, Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher), and starts to have an affair with him, which suddenly turns not only her marriage, but her own life upside down!
- Jane Burnham is suffering from the oddest problems a typical, all American teenage girl could ever have: Her parents hate each other, her father is obsessing over her friend (and not to mention, Angela, herself, is willing to return the pleasure to Jane's dad), and the new boy next door, Ricky Fitts (Wes Bently) has developed a major crush on Jane. Ironically, Ricky and Lester have formed a friendship, which makes Ricky's homophobic father (Chris Cooper) believe that they are "more than friends". Ricky has it tough in life...his father rules the house with an iron fist and often takes his anger out on his son. As misery full fills Ricky's life, Jane's feelings for Ricky changes from hate to love.
Okay, those are the plots to this story. Tempting...isn't it? Well, I must say, I thought this was an excellent film for good laughs, but is also filled with surprises! Although it's not the best movie I ever saw in my life...it is a movie that was worth renting!!! And for those who haven't seen it and want to see...it's definately worth it!!! With unforgettable performances by Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Wes Bently, and Mena Suvari, "American Beauty" is an unforgettable, intense film that will make you not want to move an inch away from your seat and soon become an instant classic!!!