A good look at family angst and life drama. Showing the desire to live again and to feel young is seen thru beauty and daydreams. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2009)

After years I finally watched this highly acclaimed film from Sam Mendes and I must say "American Beauty" is one of those films that anyone can enjoy for the message it sends that people can rediscover youth and life again thru what they see. It proves a strong point everyone sees something different and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
The story is just perfect set in the suburbs the terrific Kevin Spacey is Lester Burnham a middle age man in a midlife crisis who feels down as he even feels the end is near he has nothing to live for. Even though he has a good paying job as a magazine article writer and also he's married to a prim and proper elegant lady named Carolyn(Annette Bening)to add on to that his teenage daughter Jane(Thora Birch). Still Lester feels lonely and tired as if he's caught up in a never ending spin cycle of conformity. Lester needs to feel young again and he needs to discover the will to live again.
It's upon noticing his daughters best teenage female school friend the hot and sexy Angela(Mena Suvari)that's when his feel of youth and rediscovery of life is felt again. And it's showed by his working out to get in shape and his fantasies of beautiful daydreams feature Angela. So tired with the high class life Lester quits his job and even resorts to flipping burgers and he finally sees for real what a phony marriage he had as Mrs. prissy Carolyn has turned out to be a cheating lady.
For many they might find this film challenging and probably like me be a little displeased with in my opinion the tragic end. Still "American Beauty" is a classic for showing how by just seeing simple beauty of youth can change a person and make them feel young again and it opens up the need to live life all over again. Beauty brings happiness and hope. Most important this film proves the old saying true "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".