"American Beauty" is one of the spectacular success stories of the American independent movie scene.  It is one of the finest films I've ever been privileged to see.  It presents the disillusionment of suburban life better than any other film in memory.  I recognized so many emotions and ideas in this film from my own life.  It struck a chord so deep that I felt like living my life a little better, with a little more vigor and fullness than I did before.  Not many films can accomplish that.

I won't recap the plot for the 7 people who haven't seen the film yet.  To be honest though, the plot is not important.  What matters in this film is the poetry, the moments, the note-perfect performances, the music... Ahhh the lovely music.  This film is about the beauty of each and every moment and those people who finally wake up and appreciate those moments.

Some of us go through life drifting from one dull second to the next.  Others are fortunate enough to have the beauty dawn on them from time to time.  For Lester Burnham, the protagonist of this story, it all dawns on him a tad too late in life... but he is going to do his best to make up for lost time as passionately as he can.

Kevin Spacey, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Annette Bening, Thora Birch & Wes Bentley all commit to brilliance in their roles.  The first four all deserved Oscar consideration for their work.

But it is the insightful screenplay and flowing direction that make this film the masterpiece that it is.  Orson Welles once said that "a film is never any good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet."  Director, Sam Mendes is a visual poet.  It is one of the most incredible cinematic debuts in history and will assuredly lead to a legendary career.

"American Beauty" is superb in virtually every way that matters when it comes to filmmaking.  It carries no apparent flaw.  I've watched it a half a dozen times and it still sends shivers down my spine every time I see the rose petals rain down on Angela, every time I see that simple video of the bag blowing in the wind, and every time that Lester thinks back on his beautiful, beautiful life.

"I want to look good naked!"

"Look at me, jerking off in the shower... This will be the high point of my day.  It's all downhill from here."

"I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up. "

"I mean, how's her life? Is she happy? Is she miserable? I'd really like to know, and she'd die before she'd ever tell me about it."

"I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. 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... 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. "