Great!

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 1999)

American Beauty- A journey into the dysfunctional land of Middle America. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is in the throes of a mid-life crisis: he hates his job, has an antagonistic relationship with his shrewish, manic depressive wife (Annette Bening), his daughter hates him and he has a crush on his daughter's best friend. And courtesy of the boy next door (whose family is even more messed up!) we get a step-by-step videography of Lester's therapy in action.
The trailers for Beauty intrigued me, and I was thrilled to stumble on an advance screening. I was not disappointed: Spacey delivers another in a long line of fantastic performances (the Usual Suspects, Seven, Swimming With the Sharks). I tried to think of another actor who could have done this role, and drew a blank - Spacey just blends into his parts so well. This is his best work yet (not a statement to be made lightly).
Bening gives her best performance since The Grifters - I have been so disappointed with her recent movies, as they simply failed to showcase her acting abilities. This time she has a complex character she can really sink her teeth into.
Finally, the supporting cast does a fantastic job, most notably Wes Bentley as Ricky the stoic stream of consciousness drug dealer / philosopher next door. Bentley's portrayal is bang on - expect to see a lot of him in the future.
The only thing that would make this movie better is.well, nothing frankly: the photography is, for lack of a better word, luscious - full and luxurious. The plot is engaging, enthralling, and believable, and the pacing is perfect.
Go, now!