Review of American Beauty (1999) by Drlowdon — 30 Oct 2014

From director Sam Mendes and Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball American Beauty follows the final days of Lester, a middle-class man whose marriage and life is on the rocks. Lester is not liked by his wife or daughter and is about to be sacked from his job. As a result he decides to live his life exactly how he wants, to the further frustration of his family.

The film deservedly won five Academy Awards including best picture, best director and best actor. Writer Alan Ball delivers a clever and darkly humorous script much in the vein of the excellent Six Feet Under and the cast are uniformly brilliant, particularly Kevin Spacey in the lead role. American Beauty provides a fascinating insight into what might be going on behind the closed doors of seemingly normal suburban households and is certainly a movie worth seeing.