Thora Birch is on the next level

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 1999)

Up until now Thora Birch has been known mainly for her roles in Disney films. The cute little girl of "Monkey Trouble", "Hocus Pocus", and "Alaska". Up until now the most difficult acting she has had to do is in "Patriot Games", where she had to act as though she was sans spleen. But now with "American Beauty" she has moved beyond that. Like Jodie Foster after "Taxi Driver" she is on the next tier of acting. Unfortunately like Ms. Foster she may find the roles available for someone her age not of the same caliber as "American Beauty". We can only hope that writers will see how skilled a performer such as Ms. Birch is and be inspired to write for her on the level of Shakespeare or Paddy Chayefsky.