A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2006)

This is, for me, the most satisfying best film Oscar wins of recent years. "Look closer" is the tag line, and this film indeed stands up to closer scrutiny. It is a dark film, yet with much humour, largely because of Anette Bening's brilliant Oscar-nominated performance, counterpointed with Kevin Spacey's Oscar-winning performance.
The premise is simple: good American families and suburbs aren't what they seem-- although the film is intensely American, it raises issues relevant to other societies: and examines relationships with a scalpel! Lester Burham (played, brilliantly by Kevin Spacey) is facing a mid-life crisis. His daughter finds love, and his wife (n anal-retentive Realtor) needs to find meaning to her life.
Add in a functional gay couple, an affair, a repressive ex-marines family (equally well played by Alison Janney as the downtrodden, submissive wife, Chris Cooper - as a repressing and repressed ex-Colonel and Wes Bentley as his rebellious son), and the microscope begins to look like a kaleidoscope! Patterns emerge, themes repeat and a neighbourhood of "ordinary people" is dissected.
Relationships emerge and converge: the film is well-directed and beautifully scripted by Alan Ball (of Six Feet Under fame, written after this film.) It's a great film. Don't miss it!