Exactly how a portrayal should be done.

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2000)

Anything that can be said about this movie has already been said by others. The acting was great and I don't care what anyone has to say, Spacey earned that oscar. Directing along with editing was top notch, nothing out of place. Camera was decent, really liked the bag in the wind, nothing special other than that, but no complaints. The script was marvelous. The writer knew stereotypes and worked them in outstanding manner. Things fit, no where did I not believe the story, I was always interested.
When I look at negative reviews of this movies I have to wonder whether or not they are earnest or just want to be contradictory. Why this was such a good movie was because of the stretching of the truth. The stereotypes were there, they said "hey what's up, it's us" and you knew it. What became of that was brilliance. People say that no one in the movie is ordinary. Well duh, I don't want anyone to be ordinary in my pop-culture movie, it's BORING, and it doesn't help the film. Because these people are so twisted is why they blend together. You may say that it's not believable; why not? Really, why not? All the characters are based on stereotypes. If they all exist, why not together, in the same neighborhood, in Upper-middle class suburbia? Why not, because any other movie is based on coincidences (maybe not as blunt and repeated as Magnolia, but yeah). Just because this movie fits together so sweetly people have to go and find a reason why they shouldn't like it, and that is a true shame. I gave it a 9 because the camera work wasn't spectacular, so there ~NEahhhhn~ Scudkat