Very Good but not Great

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 1999)

I saw this film a couple weeks after it came out and I agree with most people that it was worth the $4.50 that I paid to watch it, but I don't think it is so revolutionary as some may come to believe and it definitely is not worth the #2 rating all time it has for IMDB users. It was good, but right behind the Godfather, I don't think so.
I think the reason that this film has had so much widespread acclaim is that it is one of few films that gets talked about that actually is different from the rest of what gets widely played these days. I've had HBO and Cinemax a good part of my life and have seen a number of films that haven't seen the theater, but are good films that tell stories about what could actually happen to real people, who talk about the thoughts and problems we all have. A movie that comes to mind immediately is the Pompatus of Love which is another different movie about relationships.
I think the best thing about American Beauty was how it showed a seemingly perfect family's dysfunction played out perfectly by lead actor Kevin Spacey. I wish more actor's would take chances and play people in NORMAL situations instead of always playing people in these fantasy worlds we know are far from reality.