It is heartening to see that Dreamworks has attempted to examine contemporary life

Rating: 6/10 (26 January 2000)

It is heartening to see that Dreamworks has attempted to examine contemporary life. American Beauty covers most of the predictable domestic tribulations of materialistic westerners. However, Chris Cooper, Wes Bentley and Kevin Spacey give such complex and deeply felt performances, particularly Chris Cooper, that the movie is elevated by them. The cinematography by Conrad Hall contributes a lot to the "beauty" of the title. The script would have been less impactive in the hands of mere mortals but whoever cast this film has contributed to its success.