A movie so good, you should only see it once.

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 1999)

My prescription: Go see this movie. Go see it once. Be ready, pay attention, and don't go again. Above all see it at night, the last showing would be good. Your mind must be free of the day's clutter. Saving $4 at the matinee would be no bargain.
Before I get to the semi-spoilers, let me say that I give this movie a 10/10.
This is the kind of movie one can draw sustenance from in the barren desert of 1990's cinema. Yes, it contains everything we can expect from a studio film; one-line character descriptions, a formulaic-sounding plot about male menopause, PC ideas about hate and being different, an "artsy" color theme, a popular lead actor. But the genius of this movie is the way it brings together all these elements to form a skeleton, upon which the real flesh of the film is supported.
First, Kevin Spacey kicks a** in this movie (again). His ability to play the pathetic Lester of the films first act, then lead us through his transformation into a man at peace is amazing, and there is nary a misstep.
There are those who would portray Lester's transformation as depraved (After all, its primary genesis is his lust for a teen cheerleader, and is fueled by marijauna use.), but they would forget the final moments of the film, wherein he discovers peace by becoming so free with himself and others that he finally sees that the family he had come to hate was the truly beautiful thing in his life, for all its faults.
This movie isn't about showing yet again that Suburban America is sick and twisted in its heart, but about the fear of desire, rejection, and love that lead Suburban Americans to pursue their perversions, pettiness, and hatreds so vigorously.
Again, 10/10... And don't give in to your temptation to see it again.