"My name is Lester Burnham. In less than one year, I will be dead."

Rating: Null/10 (10 April 2002)

This is one of my favorite movies. It was spectacular! I couldn't believe how well every thing tied together. This movie is great on many levels, be it the incredible acting, or the fantasy (not fairies and dragons, of course) that has become one ordinary man's life. I think what I liked best, though (besides the best lead acting job I've seen since Robert De Niro in 'Raging Bull'), was how two separate and already incredible stories enter-twine into a spectacular ending, that leaves you feeling better and with what seems like a new way of looking at life. This is just me, though; because many people hated it (I just don't think they fully understood, but maybe I'm wrong).
Now some of you out there might be enraged that I put that quote up there, thinking that I ruined the film, but I actually didn't. It's the first line in the movie! That is one of the reason why this is such a great movie, though. It told you he would be dead by the closing of the film, so that made me think that this would be great, because it doesn't depend on a sad ending to make it a good movie. The ending wasn't really sad, but more enlightening. It wasn't an ending for Lester, it was a beginning. Lester's story is about him becoming a man that he likes to be. He goes from a repressed, prideless loser, to a happy, healthy (both physically and mentally), care free man. He starts doing what he likes and getting what he wants (which leads in to my favorite line in the movie, where he goes and arbitrarily buys a beautiful Camaro).
Meanwhile, there is the Burnham's new next door neighbor Ricky Fitts, who is overwhelmed by all the beauty (most of which people would describe as awful), and tries to show other people (mostly Lester and his daughter Jane, who Ricky is in love with) how beautiful life is. Ricky really changes the Burnham's lives. He shows Lester how to live (with a little help from pot), and shows Jane how to love. While this is all happening, Annette Bening's character is being alienated by her family, bu it is really her own fault. Rickies dad is a very interesting character. He tries to hide his emotions with a shield of callousness and hatred for everything he doesn't understand, but throughout his appearances, you can tell the shield is getting smaller, and it eventually isn't there any more (he is a major part in the end).
Beside Ricky, Lester also undergoes a life style change in order to get Jane's friend, Angela (who is played greatly by Mena Suvari), to notice him. He is infatuated with her, and he is willing to do anything to get her. She is a very good character. What I realized about this movie the second time I saw it was that every character in this movie is repressing there true selves in some way, trying to be very convincing about what they want every one else to see, but they are all miserable, and want to reveal themselves. This is the movies mantle, but I think the core of this movie is that life has to much beauty and happiness to waste being miserable and trapped by there own doubts and insecurities.
This movie is not for every one, because it is pretty harsh at parts, but it has such a meaningful point that the harsh parts are able to be excepted (I didn't think it was harsh, but I know people who did). I recommend this to any one who enjoys beautiful films, because I think this is the best movie in 10 years. Enjoy! 10/10