Near perfect performances make near perfect film

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2001)

You know what it's like...everyone tells you that you should watch a film. You sit down bristling with anticipation .... and end up sorely disappointed. Well, with American Beauty for once that didn't happen. Sam Mendes has directed a film which is very close to perfection. A lot of this hangs on the script - a subtle subversion of American suburbia. As others have said, this film is about more than a man suffering a mid-life crisis - it exposes how fragile the make-up of our daily lives can be. Through following the Burnham family we get a comic, tragic, sad, exhilarating glimpse of life. And this is achieved largely from the fabulous performances Mendes extracts from the entire cast. Kevin Spacey, as ever, is flawless. This man must be one of the greatest actors of his generation. Annette Bening excels as his frustrated wife, and the young cast who play the teenagers all demonstrate admirable talents. I can not recommend too strongly that, if you haven't, you try American Beauty.....a film that truly deserves all of the enthusiastic attention it has received.