Review of American Beauty (1999) by Vincerocks123 — 10 Jul 2015

Undeniable one of the best and last oscar winning motion pictures of the 20th century, "American Beauty" is a undeniable surrealist experimental film on life that continues to have people "look closer" at the iconic portrait of the modern american suburban family and their relationships.

A spectacular directorial debut by Sam Mendes, infused with a sharp and witty script by Alan Ball, matched by a pitch perfect performance of Kevin Spacey as the typical middle aged household father Lester Burnham, who feels like his life is already dead, left with a mid-life crisis involving an oppressive job, a cheating and nagging wife (Annette Bening) and a depressed and resentful daughter (Thora Birch). when Lester becomes infatuated with his daughters' friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) she becomes his inspiration to break free from his bored life and seek a new life as a independent free-spirited sexually glorified happy-go lucky, resulting in his family to fall apart which also brings their neighbors (Wes Bentley and Chris Cooper) into a conflict that will take a turn for the worst, even though Lester will not even care anymore.

A magnificent and smart film that is half drama and half comedy, its a gem you'll have to see before you die, with spectacular cinematography by Conrad L Hall and a hypnotizing musical score the film is also one of the best CGI films ever made.