A lot of movies produced by Hollywood still retain their charm to this day. Directed by some of the legendary directors of all times like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, these evergreen movies are several milestones that the film industry has achieved. To give its audience the best of it, Netflix has been bringing up major classics to its platform. One such movie that recently landed on the streamer is American Beauty of 1999.

Since it’s older than a decade, the current gen z movie freaks might not be aware of this piece. But worry you not since we got you covered. From the cast to synopsis here’s everything you need to know about the movie.

What is American Beauty all about?

In American Beauty, we have Lester Burnham played by Kevin Spacey. He’s a media executive who is going through a midlife crisis. He absolutely loathes his job and is in a joyless marriage to his wife, Carolyn. Carolyn, played by Annette Bening, is a neurotic, materialistic, real estate broker. They’ve a daughter named Jane played by Thora Birch who is your typical insecure, teenage girl. Lester is clutched in the quagmire of identity crisis and faces many indifferent events as life takes a toll on him.

Directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball, this film asks the question, “is the American dream worth it?” Right from the beginning of the movie, it focuses on the centerpieces. They who struggle their sweat off but still return to a joyless, dull gloomy environment at the end of the day. It portrays a place where people are lost and helpless. However, somehow they get the drive that pulls them out of the quagmire of a sparkless life.

It’s dark and brutal but at the same time a profound movie that becomes a source of inspiration for all its viewers. This was one of those proactive movies of the 90s that perfectly captured the heart-wrenching problems of American life. 

Is the movie really worth a watch even today?

Absolutely! Two important themes run through the entire movie. What is identity and what is beauty. These two themes are perfectly woven into the story and every single one of the characters. In addition to that, the Oscar-winning leading character of the film, Lester was not only extremely funny in his role but also brilliantly underwent through a change of personalities in different situations.

Furthermore, his vocal performances, his mannerisms and body language gradually changes and he becomes completely jacked up as the movie wears on.

Now that it’s on one of the leading streaming services of all, stream it right now and tell us how you liked the film.