She's not your friend. She's just someone you use to feel better about yourself.

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2014)

It was love at first sight with this dark, twisted, witty film. American Beauty is a spectacular drama film brilliantly directed by Sam Mendes. The film displays some strong acting from it's actors. The story is quite strong here, and engages the viewer and you become suckered in by the solid acting and Mendes' strong direction. American Beauty is like a fine whiskey, you savor every minute of it, and you indulge in it's rich atmosphere it brings.
The performances all walk the line between parody and simple realism; Thora Birch and Wes Bentley are the most grounded, talking in the tense, flat voices of kids who can't wait to escape their homes. Bening's character, a real estate agent who chants self-help mantras, confuses happiness with success--bad enough if you're successful, depressing if you're not.
And Spacey, an actor who embodies intelligence in his eyes and voice, is the right choice for Lester Burnham. He does reckless and foolish things in this movie, but he doesn't deceive himself; he knows he's running wild--and chooses to, burning up the future years of an empty lifetime for a few flashes of freedom. He may have lost everything by the end of the film, but he's no longer a loser.
I think "American Beauty" is one of the most important films in cinema that will ever be released. The shots capture the elements needed in order to display the images of true human beauty, the dialogue is stupendously written, the tone of the film makes you want to cheer as tears role down your face in happiness, and the directing is indescribable beyond belief. In my opinion, "American Beauty" is one of the best films of all time!