"American Beauty" is to 1999 what "The Graduate" is to 1967

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2005)

I think that it's appropriate that "American Beauty" came out in 1999. In that year, I was as old as my parents were in 1967, when "The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" both came out. Those were both movies that presented things differently than most movies previously had. Entertainment Weekly called 1999 something like "the year that changed movies", citing "Election", "The Blair Witch Project", "The Sixth Sense", "American Beauty" and "Being John Malkovich" as examples.
Anyway, "American Beauty" is an indictment of the suburban lifestyle. Middle class Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) has a steady job and a typical family. His self-indulgent wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) seems absolutely bent on training their teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) to be "perfect". But then, when Lester catches sight of Jane's friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) at a dance, the whole Burnham household begins to go through some massive changes. Changes which will irrevocably alter everything.
This may be the perfect movie. I can't even begin to describe how good it is. With top-notch performances from its main players (plus outstanding performances from Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, Scott Bakula, Sam Robards and Peter Gallagher), an excellent script by Alan Ball, and A-one direction by Sam Mendes, you can see why it won Best Picture.
Just an extra note. There is a scene that might make you giggle. I won't tell you what it is, but it involves "choking the bishop".