Review of American Beauty (1999) by Colton H — 17 Apr 2016

This review will be short as this film is difficult to express in words. It truly mocks the audience at it's brilliance. Every shot and scene has a purpose, as if it were a Hitchcock film. Kevin Spacey's narration is superb.

Every narration, as if it were an act closing in a play, creates ever longing suspense for the audience, resulting in a climatic ending for the cinematic history books. Every actor with a monologue has a quotable line that makes the viewer question his own existence and inescapable fate.

The most memorable line being after Kevin Spacey's demise and narrating a beautiful monologue. He recalls his past and declares that his life flashed by in key moments. Whether it was laying in the grass and the touch of his grandmothers withered hand.

Then when the audience just can't take anymore, he quotes our good friend Ricky Fitt's by saying, "I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world.

Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... " But then Kevin Spacey's character figures out the "key of life" and narrates it as beautifully as he can.

"And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life.

.. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday." That's when I realized my own interpretation of the film, the only way to comprehend it is through death.

As they say, "You can never truly appreciate something until it's gone." Once you've lost something as precious as life, that's the only time you can truly appreciate the beauty of the world, and just let go.

Perhaps relax and let it flow through you like rain, as said by our good friend Lester Burnham.