Kevin Rules !

Rating: 9/10 (7 March 2002)

"American Beauty" is a great movie about a bored suburbian nobody (Kevin Spacey) who on on day decides that he doesn't give a damn about anything anymore and starts doing the things he really wants. This leads to some very funny situations, but the movie also contains enough of a message and really shows the futility and emptiness of middle-age family life (wow, how did I come up with that one).
Of course, every now and then things become a little too dramatic or symbolic (I remember watching a scene with a plastic bag being moved by the wind for about 5 minutes), but the phenomenal part of Kevin Spacey more then makes up for this. Other acting is also great, especially Thora Birch as the daughter. And the ending of the movie is quite a surprise....
***`1/2 out of **** stars