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Top Ten Reasons to See Amercian Beauty Again...and Again...and Again Shaun Richardson | Copy Editor 
1. The film's tag line is "Look closer…" That's just what you can do if you see the movie for a second (or third or forth) time. There's so much to take in, and you're bound to laugh twice as much the second time around. Of course, you are also just as likely to cry, which is one of the things that makes this film so great.2. It won the "Best Picture" Oscar…need I say more? 3. The windsurfing bag-possibly the most powerful scene in the film comes when Ricky Fitts (Bentley) shows Jane Burnham (Birch) his favorite video, which is nothing more than a captured scene of a bag floating in the wind. Bentley's narration makes it one of those moments that you just cannot forget, and this scene is truly the glue that holds the film together. 4. Annette Bening's performance as a neurotic real estate agent. From her first scene forth, Bening is a constant source of laughter as the complexity of her seemingly shallow character unfolds on the screen. 5. Kevin Spacey-he's already won two Oscars ("Best Supporting Actor" for The Usual Suspects; "Best Leading Actor" for American Beauty), and he's just getting started. Lester is a hero of the common man, who takes pride in his job flipping burgers and doesn't mind admitting that he masturbates in the shower and in the washroom at work and in the… 6. The scene in the Mr. Smiley's drive thru when Lester's (Kevin Spacey) burger-slinging manager, Jeanine, let's Bening know that she's "so busted." If you've seen the film, you know what I'm talking about. 7. Wes Bentley and Thora Birch's on-screen chemistry. These two misfits' unlikely love affair is just enough to give even the loneliest man/woman hope that someone out there might love him/her for who he/she is. 8. Talk about pushing the envelope, this movie touches on it all: adultery, inappropriate father-daughter's-best-friend relationships, homophobia, and recreational drug use. 9. Ever have one of those days when you feel like you are the weirdest person alive? Just watch American Beauty, and you'll realize that everyone's weird and that "there's nothing worse than being ordinary." 10. Mena Suvari-has anyone noticed a trend in this woman's career. She is sticking to patriotic films (American Beauty, American Pie). Good thing she avoided American Psycho. At any rate, she creates an enigma on the screen. You just aren't sure if you love her or hate her, feel sorry for her or envy her. Responses: Refresh frame to view latest entries. Comments: Name: jeff
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