Kinds of make you appreciate what you have.

Rating: 7/10 (8 February 2015)

This is one heck of a drama starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning as Lester and Carolyn Burnham, who lives in a nice house surrounded by a white-picket fence in an upscale neighborhood. But, in reality, Lester is having depression as he despises his job, quarrels with his wife, and has a daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), who can't stand him.
This film deeply highlights the negative effects of a broken-down and uncommunicative family in America, from Lester having an infatuation with Jane's friend, Angela (Mena Suvari), to Carolyn getting more obnoxious and distant toward Lester. Jane also developing a friendship with a shy neighbor Ricky (Wes Bentley), who lives with an abusive father, adds onto the chaos. All these course-of-events and the resulting consequences are depicted here, sometimes making your mind numb and making your jaw drop. The plot is full of tension and dark, dramatic moments from start to finish, and you'll also get some chuckles from its sarcastic and witty humor.
I thought, though, that many of the dialog is delivered very pretentiously or in a phony way, especially that of Lester and Jane. I guess that's how we get to sense their artificial chemistry and their relationship is really a front.
It's definitely not a film for the entire audience to see, as there are much adult themes such as language, sexual references, drug scenes and violence. Almost every bit of thing that makes a film rated R is contained in this movie and, sometimes, the film penetrates your thought so deeply you are left feeling depressed at seeing some of the worse in humanity and how insane or psychotic some minds of people can get.
I like the film for its suspense and cinematography, but I also feel disgusted at the over-the-top psychotic and immoral portrayal of the characters in this movie. It does make you wonder what happened to the fabric of life and also makes you feel grateful you are not them and appreciate what you have.
Grade B-