The Beauty of American Beauty

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2018)

The American Beauty is a movie about - you guessed it - beauty. And not only are we talking about appearance, but also the beauty of the simplest things in life. As the main character says, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". And you'll know it full well when you reach the end of this masterpiece.
The movie was released in 1999 and directed by Sam Mendes. Kevin Spacey, embodied into Lester Burnham, tells a story about a middle-aged father trying to sort his life out. And his unbalanced in life wife Carolyn and anxious, misunderstood daughter Jane are really not helping him out. Each of them have their flaws and seeing them struggling to straighten things out is a true pleasure to watch.
Now, right off the bat I want to say I've loved the movie. Seeing the plot unravel and the characters change in meaningful ways is frankly astonishing. Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening (as Carolyn) and Wes Bentley (as Ricky, a creepy neighbour next door) really outdid themselves in this one. At first they caused me to cringe horribly (obviously as intended). But later on with their engaging performances we realize how endearing and relatable these people are. Discovering their complex (or sometimes the simplest) views on life really warms a viewer's heart.
The movie was quite funny and I've lol'd a few times. The tone is mostly light - the audience can relax and enjoy a good film. What we also need to talk about is the soundtrack, which absolutely appealed to me. The music really gave the atmosphere of the movie a nice touch. And last thing, the dialogues were top notch, mainly the ones between Lester and Carolyn. The asparagus scene genuinely amazed me and it's definitely gonna stay on my mind for some time.
In conclusion, the filmmaker was successful in his role - making me self-reflect and have a good time. The charming characters and their complex stories are truly worth a rewatch. American Beauty is certainly a title I'll come back to.