“American Beauty” Captures Malaise in Modern Suburban America

There is more than meets the eye behind both Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening’s picture-perfect marriage and nearly everything going on in their neighborhood in Sam Mendes’ revealing dark comedy American Beauty (A). The acting is superb and the satire biting in this cautionary tale with parallel tales of unhinged, unfulfilled adults and teens acting out fantasies in modern-day suburbia gone horribly awry.