American Beauty

American Beauty (1999) starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney. Directed by Sam Mendes. Surprisingly good look at two families in suburbia who just happen to live next door to each other. The key character is Lester Burnham (Spacey), who narrates  throughout the movie about his pathetic little life. The main nuclear family is made up of Lester and his wife Carolyn (Bening) and their daughter Jane (Birch). Their next-door-neighbor Ricky (Bentley) has the at-first-creepy habit of videotaping everything he sees, especially Jane. Ricky's father (Cooper) is a retired Marine who is fanatical about his son's behavior. The movie really comes alive when Lester goes to see Jane's performance in a pep rally and falls instantly in love with Jane's friend Angela (Suvari). The film is a true original, with unexpected events at every turn. The movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenwriter, Actor (Spacey), and Cinematography. It really is surprisingly excellent. (Subtitles in English are available on the disc.) Grade: A-