One of the best films made in the 1990s.

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2004)

This was one of the best films of the 1990s. Kevin Spacey was fantastic in his role as Lester. Annette Benning was also fantastic in her role as Carolyn. This film tells a fantastic story about a loveless marriage and its effects on the spouses and all the people around them. The acting, direction, and especially the cinematography is awesome. I see this movie as a modern and edgier re-make of "Ordinary People". They both center around a dysfunctional family and and results of their actions. However, In "American Beauty", the end is comic; Lester, although dead, realizes how good his life was and enjoys his memories right before he dies.