A haunting, disturbing and pathetic look at an average American family

Rating: Null/10 (4 November 1999)

You may have to sleep on it before you make your decision on American Beauty, because I found that after exiting the theater I could not make up my mind on whether I liked Sam Mendes' debut film. American Beauty searches for happiness within all the characters, whether it be falling in love with your daughter's sexy buddy and quitting your job to work at a hamburger joint, or by cheating on your husband business rival. The film tries to portray the message to do what you want and do it without thinking about the consequences, because you only live once. Without a doubt the best movie of 1999 and perhaps claims the best actor of the year-Kevin Spacey. And yes I had to sleep on it before I realized how much I liked this movie. 3.5 stars/4 stars