THE OUTSTANDING FILM OF 1999

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2000)

And so one day Lester Burnham, suburban drudge, woke up from the coma that he had inflicted on himself for years under the pretext of calling it a "normal life", re-assessed everything and started doing what he wanted instead of what was expected.
And that's where real American Beauty lies.
A triumphant cinematic debut for acclaimed theatre hotshot Mendes finds him working from a remarkable first time script by Alan Ball, and features 2 career best performances from actors who specialise in giving career best performances.
It's sharp, it's perceptive, it's very very funny, and takes more risks in its storytelling and execution than most other films from the 90s put together.
One of those movies you want never to end, it gives us Spacey in sublime form as the mouse that turned, and Bening blisteringly funny as his picture-perfect wife.
There's nastiness and cruelty at work here too, but these 2 qualities have never been quite so enjoyable.