Twisted, darkly hillarious, and oddly moving.

Rating: 9/10 (15 September 1999)

I just saw this movie at the Boston Film Festival. It was amazing, the audience laughed, applauded, and even cheered once or twice. Kevin Spacey gives a great performance, gleefully hamming it up as a middle-aged loser who just doesn't give a s**t anymore. Annette Benning is also very good as a suburban wife on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The supporting cast is excellent as well, adding even more twisted spice to this darkly hillarious cauldron of suburban macabre. American Beauty is cleverly written, originally directed, and even though it may turn off some viewers with it's themes of statuatory rape, child abuse, masturbation, marajuana, and murder, it still has my vote for the "feel good" movie of the year.