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Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2005)

A beautiful piece of work by first time director Sam Mendes. Easily one of the most accomplished film debuts in the history of cinema. The story centers around a man named Lester Burnham (the wonderful Oscar winning Kevin Spacey) a man who has lost passion in his life. His wife Caroline (Annette Benning in an equally stunning performance) is a workaholic real estate agent. Both are frustrated with their marriage which is basically just for show. Sexually frustrated Lest lusts for one of his daughter's (Thora Birch) girlfriends,Anglea (Menna Suvari). This lust begins Lester's search for happiness in life, so he quits his job and begins to flip burgers just like when he was a kid. Caroline is very frustrated with the fact that she has to be the breadwinner of the family and has an affair. Meanwhile the boy next door,Ricky is videotaping the Burnhams the daughter Jane in particular. The two strike a chord with each other and begin a romantic relationship. Ricky's father, Frank is a homophobe who suspect Ricky is homosexual because he is spending some time with Lester, of course this is not true. All Ricky is doing is scoring Lester some drugs. As the story progresses Lester gets used to Angela, and Angela starts to warm up to Lester.
This film is a must see for anyone who appreciates film!