Good acting, little substance.

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2000)

I saw this movie after it got nominated for best picture. I have been a Kevin Spacey fan since seeing him in The Usual Suspects, but American Beauty was not high on my lists of movies to see. Well, now I know why.
American Beauty is a not totally disinteresting look at what happens when pretty much every character hates his or her life. I felt like this movie was far too depressing to be funny, save for a few lines that are just catchy. The scene with Spacey and the consultant are outstanding from an "office space" point of view. However, the movie tries to make comedy out of some really heavy subjects, and I found myself thinking about the true content of the movie too much to really enjoy the movie. A favorite for best picture? I don't see it.