Movie/DVD Review: American Beauty (1999 release)

American Beauty is an outstanding drama from 1999 directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, and Peter Gallagher. It is about the dark side of suburbia, and that all that seems well on the outside is not always great on the inside, and what seems creepy on the outside, just really, sometimes, is. Kevin Spacy plays Lester Burnham, a middle-aged guy in a failing marriage who goes through a mid-life crisis after being laid off from his job (after managing to extort a great severance package), including buying a convertible, starting work at a fast food place, and trying to nail his high school daughter's best friend, a seemingly slutty cheerleader played by Mena Suvari. 

The writing and acting are both top-notch. It has a great ensemble cast with a mix of notable actors and newcomers. Annette Benning plays Lester's wife Carolyn, Thora Birch plays Lester's daughter Jane, and Wes Bently plays Ricky, the weird neighbor kid who videotapes almost everything and sells pot. Chris Cooper plays Ricky's abusive and homophobic father, and Allison Janney plays his out-of-it mother. All the cast members give great performances, and the movie deserved its Best Picture win.

The movie has been re-released on DVD and blu-ray over the years. Still, for those who get the 1999 original release on DVD, the extras include a commentary track on the movie by the director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball, a 22-minute behind the scenes featurette, storyboard sequences, cast and crew biographies, and the theatrical trailer. Plus, there is some DVD-ROM content if you play it on a computer.

Overall, the movie is great. Of course, these days, there is the catch-22 of supporting Spacey, who has numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against him and has basically been blackballed from Hollywood. Of course, he is still likely getting royalties from any movie sales, so any purchase does put money in his pocket, but it also supports the other people who made the movie what it was. Even though Spacey was clearly the star of the movie and the fact that he may be an asshole in real life, he was a great actor and his performance certainly did not entirely carry the movie. If you are looking for a great drama (and are one of the few who have not seen the movie yet, some 20 years later), it is definitely worth checking out.