Beautiful, profound, emotional movie

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2016)

Beautiful, profound, emotional movie.
Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey) is your average 40- something, seemingly living an average life. He lives in the suburbs with his wife and teenage daughter and has worked in the same company for 14 years. Everything seems normal on the surface but Lester is starting to tire of the mundanity and superficiality of it all...
Wonderful, thought-provoking, eye-opening story of suburban life: the materialism, the importance of appearances and status, the superficiality and the dullness and pointlessness of it all. Also covers other interesting topics like enjoying the simple things in life...and bigotry and intolerance.
Makes you examine your own life, your motivations and what makes you happy.
Superb performances too. Kevin Spacey is brilliant as Lester Burnham, as is Annette Benning as his wife. Good support from Thora Birch, Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari.
Deservedly won the Best Picture award at the 2000 Oscars. Also picked up Best Director for Sam Mendes, Best Leading Actor for Kevin Spacey, Best Original Screenplay for Alan Ball plus Best Cinematography. Annette Benning got a nomination for Best Leading Actress.
A classic.