This movie has commentary over it, so it's unwatchable

Brilliant look at midlife crisis

My #1 fav, Gone With the Wind is much older, but the elements are similar to what I loved about American Beauty. The camera shots are exquisitely framed. The dialogue is real life drama for its time. It was very sexy, and the taboo issues such as "the gay men next door" in American Beauty parallel the slavery issues and poverty of the deep south after the civil war that GWTW portrays. I love Kevin Spacey anyway, in anything. My favorite scene, the most breathtaking, in my mind, (second to Scarlett throwing herself at Ashley Wilkes) was the one with the plastic bag that was being filmed and the dialogue that neighbor Rickey Fitts gives about life. It was so deep and symbolic and profound. That's my opinion, anyway. :)

I'm not sure why American Beauty is still on the front page of the rate movies section.. it came out like 10yrs ago. Anyhow, it was a great movie.. I'm sure by now tho most people already know this.

Almost a decade after seeing this in theaters, this pointed, funny, and moving Best Picture winner still packs a wallop. Director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball, along with ace support from the rest of the crew and an A-list cast have crafted a reflection, homage and lyrical-satircal take on American suburbia. In a glance, it's about an everyday dissatisfied husband and wife, their normal teenage daughter, the world they live in, and the events that lead up to one tragic conclusion we see time and again on the local news. What's fantastic here is the intelligence and empathy of the story. In a way, the movie's an exaggerated look at all our lives and our absurd, messy and thoroughly human predicaments. The film took home 5 Oscars (Best Pic, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography), and at the time, had its fans and detractors, some of whom thought the whole thing was overly stylized. The movie's tag line says it all. Take a closer look. There's a lot to see.