Perfect, in every sense of the word

Rating: 10/10 (4 June 2020)

If I had to describe this film in one word, it would be 'brilliant.' Nothing has truly captured the mundane and inner thoughts and demons surrounding people and their human natures quite like this before, nor has any film been able to play it off in such a unique manner. It's a timeless film that somehow manages to be incredibly insightful, without ever feeling a slight bit dull or boring. It's interesting, entertaining, cleverly shot, well written, and fantastically acted. There is little to say the film didn't do right. Kevin Spacey gives one of, if not, the best performance of his career and he is well deserving of his Oscar win. His portrayal of the character Lester Burnham can often be imitated in many aspiring filmmakers works today, but even though it is often imitated, none can replicate the brilliance that Spacey puts into the performance. His acting is not only realistic, but also endlessly enjoyable to watch, and you won't want to take your eyes off the screen when he steals every scene he possibly can. The other actors in the film are quite great as well. Annette Bening gives a wonderfully poignant performance as Carolyn Burnham and provides a greater glimpse into the struggling suburban wife we have all come to know at some point in our lives. Her performance isn't just an advance on a stereotype however, and neither is the character, but rather a fresh perspective on how someone so mundane and yet trouble-filled can be living throughout their own life. Though no performance in the film shine quite as notably as these two; Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, and Chris Cooper all give quite notable performances on their own- with somewhat less screen time to let their roles shine. The film is written beautifully, and its incite and story is so incredibly down to earth- and yet so wonderfully magical all at once. It's direction is perfect, with it being Mendes' first effort, it truly shows how impressive he is as a filmmaker. The film is also shot beautifully, and is well deserved of its Oscar win for cinematography, with its endlessly perfect and interesting shots that truly help the film to keep up its amazing stature. The one flaw I can see the film being ridiculed for, is it being slightly predictable at times, but even with this small flaw- American Beauty seems to make it not just a flaw but a quirk of its story- by providing such realistic values and lifelike scenarios- that you can't help but feel like if you were in the same situation, you could predict it yourself. In the end, American Beauty is a timeless effort from all those involved- filled with some wonderful writing by Alan Ball and wonderful direction from Sam Mendes. Spacey's performance, as is the film, is timeless and all in all both go in my personal favorite moments in all of film history.
My Rating: 10/10