Brilliant film

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2000)

American Beauty is a stunning film, superbly directed by Sam Mendes with a great screenplay by Alan Ball. Its message is not entirely original (the themes of suburbia repressing people's true natures; appreciating beauty in the world; being true to yourself have all been explored before). Rarely, though, has a film been this passionate about them. This is in large part due uniformly superb performances from the cast. The standouts are the mesmerizing turn by newcomer Wes Bentley and the absolutely brilliant performance turned in by Kevin Spacey (it will be a travesty if he doesn't win the Oscar). Bentley's Ricky is creepy at first but slowly we come to understand that his intensity and serenity are due to an absolute appreciation of the world around him and its beauty. Spacey, meanwhile, is stunning as Lester, simultaneously cynical, rueful, tender, sad and sarcastic. In the movie's second half, the actor achieves a level of acting that can be described as art. As Lester comes closer to his own final epiphany, the final step in his quest to recapture the joy of living, Spacey will blow you away. This is one of the greatest performances of the last decade and it is only the greatest achievement in a spectacularly good film.