Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2009)

"American Beauty", the 1999 Best Picture Oscar winner, explores the lives of three suburban family members who've grown apart and are each looking for a way to reinvigorate their lives. Most notably this includes the father (Kevin Spacey) developing an obvious infatuation with his teenage daughter's attractive friend (Mena Suvari).
The film's tagline, "Look closer", signals that this is a film that will be appreciated most by those who do just that. That being said, the film's storyline is compelling even if you don't pay much attention to the film's underlying philosophy of 'beauty'. In any case, I feel that the script's Oscar win was warranted though I'm sure that the subject matter won't appeal to everyone.
The film features a well-assembled ensemble cast. Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for his role and, while I prefer other roles of his to this one, I do think that he was a deserving winner. Annette Bening was also quite good but she was beaten for Oscar by Hilary Swank's powerful performance in "Boys Don't Cry". I'm surprised that Chris Cooper didn't seem to garner much notice for his strong supporting role, which I prefer to his later Oscar-winning role in "Adaptation". The younger actors (Thora Birch, Wes Bentley & Mena Suvari) hold their own though it isn't especially surprising to see that they haven't done much of note since.
The Oscar-winning direction by Sam Mendes is quite impressive coming from a first time director and the visuals are further bolstered by the Oscar-winning cinematography of Conrad Hall. Also noteworthy is the Oscar-nominated score by Thomas Newman which is supplemented by some well-chosen soundtrack selections.
The five Oscars and three additional nominations show that this film was a well-rounded effort. It is also one of the few Best Picture Oscar winners of recent years that few will dispute. Personally, I think that it is a fine film though I don't rank it quite as highly as the rest of IMDb's voters (ie. currently ranked #37 in the top 250).