The Joint of Destiny

Rating: Null/10 (29 August 2003)

This is a very amusing film. The pot smoking and the comedy make it fun, but the relationships are serious. There are few films I have seen that combine comedy and drama so well.
The film very cleverly makes us laugh at the problems of average people, even though we know what we are laughing at is sad. The most interesting parts of the movie would have to be the scenes involving Ricky and his father. It is Lester's story, but his problems are only part of the big picture. The tagline 'Look Closer' is apt.
American Beauty is very eloquent in the way it gets its messages across, and the way it is shot complements this. It is an important, serious and funny film, which will probably be remembered as a perfect example of the emptiness of life at the time when the film was made.