It's been a long time since I've seen a movie twice in the theater, but I liked American Beauty that much!

It's masterfully made with great performances (Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening), but it's the screenplay by Alan Ball that put me over the top. Finally, here's a script that's not only rich, deep and funny; but also profound. As Ball says in an interview on the site linked below, he's not afraid to be both "brutally cynical and achingly romantic" at the same time. Refreshing.

Even better for me (without wanting to give things away) are the philosophical components. Ball says, "If there's a theme to this movie, it's that nothing is what it appears to be on the surface. That there is a life behind things and it's much more interesting and real than the veneer of reality that we all sort of tacitly agree to accept."

Suffice it to say that American Beauty expresses (in Ball's words), "seeing what incredible beauty there is in the world. And I think that's something that we're born with that gets ironed out of us by our culture and by experience and by conformity. I think there's a part of everybody that yearns to get that back."

This is a trip I recommend (but for adults only). And I offer this review as my thanks for a film that uplifted me and reminded me of the potential of heartfelt, personal and, yes, inspired cinema. Enjoy.

Official motion picture web site:
http://www.amazon.com/americanbeauty/