American Beauty Review

This dark comedy tracks the doomed Lester Burnham’s midlife crisis as it frees him from his dreary magazine job allowing him to pursue a blonde teen and a career flipping burgers. Meanwhile his tightly wound wife ruthlessly aspires to be Queen of Real Estate and will be damned if anyone smudges her perfectly sterile façade of family life. Their goth daughter wants to get away from her parents and finds her ticket out when the son of a psycho ex-Marine moves in next door. Stir them together and you’ve got a hilariously insightful story and the best film of 1999.
What happens when Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening finally encounter roles worthy of their talents? American Beauty happens giving the actors license to be their neurotic best. Bening is downright creepy as wife mom and madly motivated achiever. Spacey comes alive as he leers at his daughter’s pal pumps up rebels and has a great sex scene with … himself?! Wes Bentley Thora Birch Chris Cooper and Mena Suvari show us just how exquisite an ensemble can be. Each actor takes risks baring more than might be comfortable to show (and sometimes to watch). Crazy as they might be everyone will relate to at least one character here if not all.
Interestingly it took a British stage director to create the ultimate movie about the American family. Sam Mendes colorfully crafts his feature debut with humor fantasy and a shocking candor reminding us why every day has to be lived fully.