Are you happy?

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 1999)

Are you happy? This is the question that is essentially being asked in "American Beauty." Sam Mendes makes his directoral debut in this film that at first seems to be a simple little story, but in fact is a dramatic ride from start to finish. Kevin Spacey, in the greatest role I've seen him in, plays Lester, a man whose favorite part of the day is masturbating in the shower. As the film develops, Spacey is searching for what makes him happy.

Although Spacey delivers as usual, the three younger actors give performances that equal or are better than that of Spacey's. Thora Birch plays Lester's daughter, a loner who is looking to for her place in the beautiful world. Mena Suvari plays Birch's best friend, a cheerleader who is pursued by Lester. Finally, there is Wes Bentley. He plays Ricky, the new kid next door who loves to film everything in which he believes beautiful.
The entire cast gives outstanding performances and this helps to make the movie so great. Each character is looking to experience life to the fullest in their own eyes and this helps the movie to continually develop. I walked out of this movie wanting to experience and live my life to the fullest. It had almost the opposite effect because I realized that there is no possible way to do every little thing you want to do. There is just no time to do everything, but American Beauty tells us you should be happy while doing it.