“American Beauty” is a terrific film somewhat damaged by a single character and in that respect it reminded me a lot of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. I had a great time with many of scenes in “American Beauty” and a bit of a struggle with several others.

Kevin Spacey (“Superman Returns”, “The Usual Suspects”) stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged man in a dysfunctional household. He’s ignored by his wife (Annette Bening “Mars Attacks!”) and loathed by his daughter (Thora Birch “Hocus Pocus”) yet he finds himself becoming drawn towards his daughter’s friend, Angela (Mena Suvari “American Pie”). Meanwhile a new family has moved into next to Lester and the son (Wes Bentley “The Hunger Games”) enjoys videotaping everything.

Kevin Spacey is absolutely terrific as Lester Burnham. He feels betrayed by suburban lifestyle and rebels by quitting his job and voicing his opinions about his wife. Annette Bening is also pretty good as Carolyn. Thora Birch is okay as Jane. Mena Suvari is actually really quite good as Angela. By far the worst character in the film is Wes Bentley’s Ricky. He’s a creep and a drug dealer that enjoys showing off his father’s Nazi plate and videotaping plastic bags. He nearly ruins the picture because every scene with him makes the picture grind to a halt.

“American Beauty” has some wonderfully crafted scenes in which Kevin Spacey shreds settings so often seen as essential in ‘normal’ life such as the work parties and the evening dinner with the family but it also has scenes such as one in which a young man talks to a girl about how beautiful it was to see a dead woman in the street. I also have mixed feelings about how the film opens by telling us that Lester will be killed as it in some ways takes away the surprise of the ending but I guess you could also say that keeps you guessing as to who will be responsible for his demise. “American Beauty” is worth a watch despite its flaws.