Philosophical and Ironic - every film student needs to study it

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2019)

I just read a long review of "American Beauty" on Wikipedia and it stated that film critics' opinions of it had declined over time, and that it was "overpraised" when it was released. I cannot agree.
This film is deeply philosophical - it is about "the meaning of life," with particular attention on the lives of middle-aged, middle-class adults and their teenaged children. "American Beauty" is also very funny, in a sarcastic, dark comedy manner, that I find very appealing. How many films have you seen there the "narrator" who introduces the film, and concludes it, tells you he is dead, but that this is not important to the story he has to tell.
By the way, Wikipedia did not note this key fact: the "American Beauty Rose" the hybrid flower that is displayed symbolically throughout the film is known to be very beautiful, but it is also prone to infestation by fungus so it often has a very bad smell. Even a flower can be ironic.