The Movie of the Century?

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 1999)

American Beauty may well be the last great film of the century, and this is perfectly fitting. The film, on the surface, examines a dysfunctional family in a "perfect" suburban environment. But the film actually wants us to look at ourselves. Things need to change. We need to change. Or we will become "plastic" or "sedated" like Annette Bening and Kevin Spacey's characters. The movie is about the dehumanizing effects of 1) repressing feelings and 2) pretending that everything's "spectacular." The only 'real' characters were the daughter (Thora Birch) and the guy next door with his camera. And they're constantly branded in this film as being "weird" or a "psycho." The movie really impacted me to the point of actually developing a different outlook on life. It's that good. The ending is perfect. The film borrows from other movie sources like "The Ice Storm," "Happiness," "Ordinary People," and even "It's a Wonderful Life" and creates something wholly unique, funny and extraordinary. I doubt I'll see a better film this year.