Peculiar black comedy worth seeing

Rating: 9/10 (7 September 1999)

This is a strange and engaging movie that one must see with others in order to have someone to discuss with afterwards, similar to another great film from this year, "Election." The acting is top-notch, and expect one or more to be nominated for a Golden Globe and/or Academy Award, and possibly an accolade for the movie itself as well. It's deservedly rated R for some language and sexual situations, but doesn't go overboard with either. 'American Beauty' makes no attempt to preach a moral nor would one work because we are seeing the most extreme of every personal and family stereotype, and very humorously in many cases, heavy-handed in others. An additional plus is the music, which uses deep bass in conjunction with subtle piano strokes to create a black comedy atmosphere for the ages.