Seems like a surreal picture of suburban life, until you look closer.

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2000)

If anybody still clings to the decades old "Leave it to Beaver" style interpretation of a nuclear family, then American Beauty will shatter that image.
Kevin Spacey is incredible as Lester Burnham, a man that hates his job, is manipulated by his wife Carolyn, and ignored by his daughter Jane. Into this humdrum life comes Mena Suvari, whom plays Jane's friend Angela. Lester soon finds himself fantasizing about Angela in the worst way. Next door, a retired Marine Colonel and his son with a propensity for video taping every move Jane makes moves in next door. Several plots exist throughout the film, the most intriguing is Burnham's gradual awakening as to how he can improve his life. We see him go from being a depressed shell of a man to leading a carefree existence, when he is no longer afraid of speaking up for himself.

American Beauty is certainly not for everyone's tastes. For many viewers, this movie may uncomfortably hit home, with adultery, drug use, homo-sexuality, over-achieving, (and under-achieving) in the workplace, communication breakdowns within the family, and so on. But for those who can look at the world with truly open eyes, and be ready to be let in behind the closed doors of the neighbors, it is a fantastic piece of work.