My favorite film of all-time

Rating: 10/10 (26 August 2001)

I won't hold anything back here. American Beauty is by far my all-time favorite movie. I actually never got around to seeing it until just a few weeks ago. Like an idiot, I didn't think that it looked like my type of film. But after two years of all of my friends bugging me and urging me to rent it, I finally did and was just blown away.

Kevin Spacey gives one of my favorite performances of all-time as Lester Burnham. A man who feels completely trapped as a pathetic loser in his world ("...in a way, I'm dead already"). Annette Bening is amazing as well as the controlling wife. Thora Birch (an actress who has definitely come a long way since her roles in movies like Hocus Pocus and All I Want For Christmas) plays what appears to be the role of a typical teenager, but eventually grows into something much more than that. And a large supporting cast including Wes Bently, Chris Cooper, Allyson Janney, and of course the always enjoyable Mena Suvari, not to mention the ingenious direction by Sam Mendes make this film completely worthy of all of the recognition that it received back in 1999.

I haven't talked all that much about the plot and I don't think that I should. American Beauty is a film that requires to be viewed without any knowledge of what's to come. The plot points that are unfolded before us throughout the course of this 122 minute film are so shocking, funny, sad and extraordinary that giving them away to those who haven't seen the film yet would be just plain wrong. I have just a few more words for you. If you have ever felt lonely, sad or unsatisfied with your life, then see this movie. A+