Very good movie.

Rating: Null/10 (18 May 2000)

I've read a few reviews on here where people have said they didn't like the movie because a lot of people won't be able to relate to it. Well, I'm an African-American male from the south and I think it is a very good movie. A great movie is great no matter who can relate to the characters. The Godfather is loved by people other than Italians, Boyz in the Hood is enjoyed by people who have never lived in a rough neighborhood like the one portrayed in the movie. I didn't see the movie in the theaters and after it got all the hype at the Oscars I was thinking it was going to be overrated. My favorite scenes were with the guy with the camera and his dad. He hated the way his father treated him but he still loved him and he knew exactly what to say to his father to get him under control. It was also funny how the father would let everyone know he was a Marine. I was blown away by Denzel in the Hurricane but Spacey did a great job in this movie as well. It was also cool how the guy with the camera never paid any attention to the blonde and how it would only focus on the daughter of Spacey's character. Angela(the blonde) was beautiful on the outside but the way she acted made her ugly and self-centered on the inside. The one character who I can relate to the most is the guy with the camera's Mom. My mother has battled depression and there are days when she just sits and looks like his mother did. I would have added a scene where his mother would have had a flashback to show how she use to be; showing that she wasn't always depressed, and how living with a person like her husband can make you lose a part of yourself. All in all, American Beauty is a very good movie; to me it doesn't rank up there with The Godfather or Shawshank Redemption but it's still a very good movie that everyone should watch.