Movie Review: American Beauty (1999)

I think Kevin Spacey may literally be one of the most successful people on the planet. Between The Usual Suspects and Housr of Cards, Spacey has established himself as a great actor over several decades. American Beauty is a 1999 movie that reeks of symbolism, but also has a great story. One visual motif that occurs frequently is the the illusion of falling roses. There are theories about what it means, and that's the reason why I like this movie. It's not a straightforward movie, it makes you think. The plot revolves around this guy played by Spacey. He falls out of love with his wife, and he becomes attracted to his daughters high school friend. This has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. The story is so edgy, it's like a more modern version of The Graduate. Just more edgier than Graduate. This movie definitely is a strange look on society and relationships. The whole theme of the movie is love, but whenever love is shown, it's usually in a dark light. The movie sort of contradicts itself in that way. Every performance in this movie is excellent. Whenever Spacey is struggling in any aspect of his life, we root for him. He's not the best dude ever, but he has you rooting for him in the end. Overall, American Beauty is a great movie that excels at making themes like love, come alive with symbolism on the big screen. Three stars.