Quite a pleasant surprise.

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2000)

I saw the ad of American Beauty on TV and saw the ad in the paper. Originally I thought it was just another movie for 'the oldies' (my parents), but now I see what the ad means by look closer. I saw the awards won, which led me to read the reviews. The ones I read made it sound good, but not great. Anyway, what finally convinced me to see it was Megan Spencer, the film critic on Triple J, the Australian youth radio station, raving like anything about it.
I went along, expecting it to be good, maybe with some good acting from Kevin Spacey, but what I found was a masterpiece. A comedy which dealt with issues like nothing else. Annette Bening acting well? It was too much. There was flawless acting by the whole cast except for maybe Thora Birch who was good, but not flawless. Kevin Spacey gave me one of those acting moments you only get once a year. One of those moments which are so real it's scary. So real that you shiver in your stomach. Although this moment wasn't as strong, the only other actors who have showed such complex and intense emotions were Toni Collette in 'The Sixth Sense' and Meryl Streep.
To round up,a great and very in-depth screenplay, well deserved of the Golden Globe, very good acting, good directing and a great thought provoker.