Beautiful!

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2012)

The first time I saw "American Beauty" was when I was around 8 years old so it's a hazy memory. Unfortunately I had to go to bed about 40 minutes in, but some scenes have stayed with me since (I'm 17 now). The second time I saw American Beauty was on the eve of my blonde friend's birthday party (I must've been around 15) and I was totally gripped. Unfortunately I had to force myself to bed as it was on late, and left 40 minutes in, in order to be awake-looking for the early morning start the next day. Yesterday, I finally got the chance to see American Beauty the whole way through. And it was amazing.
Those first 40 minutes hadn't really left my head before. They were just absolutely gripping, full of incredible visuals, cinematography and absorbing writing and character development. Thankfully, the rest of the film doesn't disappoint either and accumulates to being one of the greatest films I have ever seen. I wasn't expecting to give it a perfect 10, as I only reserve that for the most special films, but this really is an incredible and outstanding film. It thoroughly deserves its best picture award!
What makes American Beauty works is its well-observed characters. At the centre of the film we've got Lester Burnham, who is fantastically played by Kevin Spacey (another throughly deserving award winner) and is going through a mid-life crisis. We can highly sympathise with him and his childish rebellion. You feel sorry for him and his loveless marriage, his ill relationship with his daughter and unforgiving job. You're almost rooting for him when he rebells. However, his acutely observed character is also wonderfully flawed by taking drugs and having vivid fantasies about his daughter's which are beautifully filmed.
The other characters are also as gripping and never shunned. We've got his controlling wife, also going through a mid-life breakdown, his moody daughter and her sexy friend as well as the weird family who've moved in next door, with their strange son and awful army dad. The film would need very little plot at all to keep it entertaining as all the characters are memorable and well-crafted, which means American Beauty never has a dull moment. Right from the startling opening, which confesses that Lester is going to die, the film never loses its grip on the audience as we're all in suspense as to who kills Lester and why!
The playful screenplay by Alan Ball is incredible. It's also philosophical and very deep at times, as well as being consistently gripping and entertaining. There are some hilarious moments as well as some emotional and touching ones. As flawless as the script is the directing by Kate Winslet's ex. There is some breath-taking cinematography and striking visuals which add fuel to the already high burning fire. About every single shot is perfectly framed, making the film even more involving and seductive. American Beauty felt hypnotic at times, sucking you into the world of the film like Black Swan and The Artist achieved so memorably.
American Beauty builds up to an incredibly powerful and emotionally-charged ending. Bringing together all the characters and leaving some ambiguity, so we don't feel at all patronised. Lester's final narration is very touching, memorable and rounds the film off perfectly. American Beauty is an amazing achievement in film-making. It's a beautifully observed drama about family life and the baggage which comes with it. There's great use of humour, superb writing, Oscar-worthy acting and sensational directing. American Beauty is the full package and is quite simply one of the greatest films I have ever seen. It was worth the 9 year wait!