It's hard to stand up when there's so much beauty in a movie

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2000)

(minor) SPOILERS in this review.
The American Dream which is in fact a nightmare. This movie shows it. A few days ago I watched American Beauty for the second time, and I absolutely LOVED it, even more than the first time. I started the video and never stopped it until the very end of the end credits. That means a lot. From the second the movie zooms in on the street accompanied by the wonderful piano music I'm sucked into it to never let go again. It's one of those very rare movies that doesn't have one boring moment. Such a fantastic movie... very intense atmosphere. And the music is so wonderful and really adds to that atmosphere. Everything is perfect about this movie: the acting for instance. The cast is one of the best ensembles ever. Kevin Spacey, Mena Suvari, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley and Chris Cooper, they're all excellent. Annette Bening too, though she's going over board a couple of times. The movie is also visually stunning, especially combined with the gorgeous music: modest, but its presence is very emphatic anyway.
The dialogue is very sharp and the story tells a lot of hard truths about human behavior (fake marriages for instance). And all in a splendid cynical way. The movie finds a perfect balance between comedy and drama. There's several hilarious scenes and there's lotsa laughs, but there's also scenes that gave me cold chills. The couch scene between Kevin Spacey and Mena Suvari for instance. Suvari's character development is brilliant and she gives the best supporting performance by a female of the year. From a very self-confident, trash-mouthed teenager in the beginning to a fragile, insecure girl in the end who didn't need Spacey as a lover, but as a father figure. Brilliant how that scene switches. Spacey is fantastic, I have to admit. I sure liked him better than the first time I watched it. He carries the movie for an important part (that sarcastic lil smile all the time!), but the rest of the cast is just as good, they just have a smaller part. Fantastic also how Bentley doesn't even glance at the very popular Suvari, but finds the seemingly boring Birch much more interesting. Plus the scene with the plastic bag is wonderful. Beauty indeed can be found in insignificant, small things.
The ending of the movie is also magnificent. The way they gave all the main characters a motive to kill Spacey is brilliant. Though the movie is not about that at all of course. Most of all, the beautiful images, the wonderful music and Spacey's poetic words sent shivers down my spine. Throughout all of the end credits I stayed in my chair still thoroughly enjoying the movie that had just ended. It's hard to stand up when there's so much beauty in a movie.
Grade: 9.5 / 10