Undoubtedly,the best movie of 1999

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2000)

This is a superb black comedy about suburban life in the U.S. Director Sam Mendes cleverly uses a rose to symbolize the gradual unfolding of the story. Kevin Spacey gives a candid performance as Lester Burnham,a guy who is suffering from terrible mid-life crisis who slowly and painfully learns that we don't often appreciate the life we have in our lifetime. Annette Bening, Peter Gallagher and Chris Cooper, in solid supporting roles, are excellent as usual. Relative new-comers Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari surprises us with their honest performances. Only Thora Birch is a little disappointing as the sulky teenaged daughter of Lester Burnham. Much has been made about the so-called surprise ending of The Sixth Sense (1999) but anybody who wants to be really surprised should watch this film especially the final half hour where the characters make shocking discoveries about their lives and themselves. Alan Ball deserves every award he gets for his screenplay. This may be a story about suburban life in America but the story and the characters are not uncommon in other parts of the world.