a spectacularly entertaining and thought provoking achievement

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2000)

Often when reading or hearing other people's reviews or comments about some film I wonder if we've watched the same film at all. This especially applies to this film.
This film - again - is about liberation from cowardice, social roles, self-denial people so often put themselves in. The sadness and humorous irrationality of the character's lives alternate constantly. Brilliant satirical comments and the tragedy of existence are always present in this fine film. The transformation of somnambulent, internally dying, fed up Lester (Kevin Spacey, who is awesome, superb in every scene) is very similar to Fight Club's Jack's transformation to non-conformist, socially liberated and confident Tyler Durden. Though Fight Club is even better film than this.
Lester hates his work, he hates the circumstances and interactions he finds himself in, he feels beaten to the ground without getting up, at least not without help. After feeling comatose and humiliated for some time, the beautiful teen age vixen Angela (Mena Suvari, great role) triggers some change in his sexually deprived monotonous life. He starts fantasizing of her submerged into corny surroundings with red flowers. Angela's comments to Jane about her father's lacking muscles prompt him to become an addict of weight lifting. Which together with his re-acquired habit of smoking weed from his new neighbor Ricky Fitts (impressive Wes Bentley) rejuvenate him. He starts feeling alive - confident and good about himself. Prepared to improve his life. He believes he is not such 'a colossal loser' after all.
The wife Carolyn (wonderfully hysterical Anette Bening) and the daugther Jane (beautiful Thora Birch) are confused about Lester's sudden change. They are all alienated from each other. Carolyn resents Lester's sudden irresponsibility and tries to fill her life with goods and material success. As long as the facade is fine and her material situation good, all is well. She has succumbed to superficial pretentiousness and has reduced herself to a caricature, whose main goals are to maintain the facade of a happy family, success in her work and gaining more materia. She is an impostor.
Voyeurist Ricky films everything he can with his camera so not to forget the transient, ephemeral nature of things. He wants to remember the beauty of a particular moment - be it death of a bird or a leaf in the wind. There's a lot of zen in some of his comments, he he has learned to see beyond the appearance - beyond the facade. His own tragic existence according to structure and the rules his father colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) has laid down for him has pushed him to value the unique beauty of various phenomena. Colonel Fitts has beaten his family into submission - his wife is lethargic, but Ricky still hustles and attempts to find something meaningful. He understands life as an ephemeral experience that has to be seized fully and passes his attitude to Jane & Lester.
Eventually the film is about the fragility of life - death can come arbitrarily and unexpectedly- through no mistake of yours or via just a misunderstanding. You live only once and there's lots of potential beauty you miss when living the daily routine consists of chasing the things you don't really need. Or even if you need, it takes courage to wonder at things and it takes a lot courage to let go and be free - to be honest to yourself and happy.