American Beauty Movie Review

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2014)

"American Beauty" is a 1999 drama directed by Sam Mendes and stars Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, and Thora Birch. The film is about Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after becoming infatuated with his daughter's attractive friend.
The film works as a satire about what life is like for those who think they live in the American dream, when in reality their lives are unhappy and only have materials to keep them satisfied. There are surprisingly a good number of well put together laughs due to the film's hyper realism presentation, and wit. Thankfully, the film knows when to utilize it's comedic element, and put in moments of drama.
Speaking of drama, it is also handled effectively. The film actually took me through a gamete of emotions, such as laughter, sadness, happiness, and even horror at a few points. There is a great deal of heartfelt moments in "American Beauty", that actually got a few tears out of me. This is amplified with Mendes fantastical direction, that had me absorb into the story and characters. The cinematography is gorgeous to look at, and the score is intoxicating.
There are films I can say is flawless from an acting perspective. This is one of them. All of the actors fully immerses themselves into their roles, and even actors that may not have a lot of screen time still manage to stick out, due to their dedication to their craft. The characters themselves are deep, and while they may exaggerate their personalities a bit, the movie still shows the darkest sides of their characteristics. However, they still feel human, and still drew me into their lives.
If I have to pick a show stealer in this brilliant cast, I'm obviously going to pick Kevin Spacey in his Oscar winning roles as
Lester Burnham. The heart and soul of "American Beauty", Lester is the only character in the film who tries to rediscover his freedom. He is funny, endearing, and ultimately tragic. He is a man who pay the price to achieve hope and freedom, which is the other characters may have found in the end. And Spacey performance makes Lester all the more endearing.
If I have any problems, I admit that while I understand the film went for an hyper realism route, there were one or two moments that I found it a bit grating. It did also make it harder for me to connect with a few of the characters to some extent, though I'm sure that repeat viewings will clear that issue for me.
Truth behold, there are few films that had glued to the screen recently in the way "American Beauty" has. From every single aspect to the writing, direction, performances, score, and etc. There is not one single film I have seen that has similarities with "American Beauty". It is one of the most engrossing movies I seen from 1999, and even with films I seen recently as well.