An excellent film that will give you chills of joy

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 1999)

"American Beauty" left me with chills of joy, saying "Can we say Oscar?" I can predict right now that this film will sweep the Academy Awards in April like a broom. A story that shows the downsides of the Leave It To Beaver suburban existence we all know and place on a pedestal. Lester (Kevin Spacey) and Carolyn (Annette Bening) Burnham along with their teen-age daughter Jane (Thora Birch) live overly ordinary lives of repression and cynicism. Their family is torn apart, a house divided by the image of perfection they try to create. But illicit love affairs and fantasies had by all three of them change them forever, giving them a new lease on life in different magnitudes. The wit is uncanny, its cast, notably young Thora Birch's Jane, gives amazing, Oscar-worthy performances, the imagery is marvelous, and the story has meaning and sends a strong, clear message about society's idealistic views and the intrinsic human needs of an individual. The unparalleled talent of insightful director Sam Mendes and incomparable screenwriter Alan Ball also help to make "American Beauty" is a cinematic treat and one of the best films you will ever see! If all films were this good, the art of cinema would be thrown into a blissful Renaissance!