Movie Review - American Beauty
American Beauty
Today, Saturday, October 23rd, 1999, I went to see American Beauty. Two words: great movie. This is definitely one of the best movies I have ever seen. It was funny, dramatic, and downright twisted. The following is my review of American Beauty.
The movie starts out in a seemingly normal town, with a seemingly normal family, living seemingly boring lives. But, as the promo poster states: Look Closer...
The Burnham House
Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, has a mid life crisis and goes through changes in his life. What they are I won't say because I really want you to see this movie and see yourself and your life in this movie. I'm not going to be like those "professional" movie critics and give away everything. I've always hated that.
Kevin Spacey plays the lead role of Lester Burnham in American Beauty
Lester gets happier and happier with his life while his wife, Carolyn (played by Annette Bening), gets madder and madder. Their daughter, Jane (played by Thora Birch), looks to escape her parents especially after her dad falls for her cheerleading friend, Angela (Mena Suvari).
Angela (Suvari), left, and Jane (Birch) play friends on the same cheerleading squad.
While Carolyn cheats on Lester with rival real estate friend Buddy King (Peter Gallagher), Jane finds a boyfriend in new next-door neighbour Ricky (Wes Bentley). Lester's mid life crisis is the center of the whole movie as the family grows stranger and stranger and farther apart.
Bening (far left), Birch, and Spacey portray the "normal" American Family.
It's an excellent art film and is so full of meaning and wisdom, not to mention some hilarious lines from Spacey's character, like when his boss calls him a twisted fuck, he responds with "I'm just a normal guy with nothing to lose."
This movie is entertaining, well acted, funny, dramatic, sad, but most important... it makes you think. Think about life, think about death, think about what is important, think about what's not important. Just think. Look closer.
Images taken from Official American Beauty Site
Copyright 1999
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