American Beauty - Review

Where do I even begin with this one. I guess I should start off by saying that this movie is perfect! Strange that a movie about a man struggling through his mid-life crisis and finding happiness again with hope of somehow having sex with his daughter's friend can be as charming and interesting as this one. Yes, that is the main storyline of this movie. However, it doesn't present itself as a raunchy comedy, it presents itself as a deep look into American society and how the American Dream and the whole idea of it is a fake hope. What works though is that it doesn't tackle that subject matter while being pretenious about itself. This movie is both really dramatic and really hilarious. It really rides the line well between the two. It also is a great mix of stories dealing with teenage issues and adult issues. Not only are the parents of the family dealing with very mature problems, the teenage girl is also dealing with your typical teenage problems. Whenever someone asks for a movie recommendation, I will always say, "Training Day." If they don't like violence, then I say "American Beauty." This movie is amazing! I don't want to say anymore with the risk of spoiling it. Just go watch it already!