Pros: The acting is excellent. Kevin Spacey won his only Best Actor Oscar as Lester Burnham, a man who is sick of being a pushover, but Annette Bening's Carolyn is just as good. Thora Birch may not have been nominated, but she was great. The plot is also good. Pulling something out of Billy Wilder's bag of tricks, this is narrated by a dead man, and you have to figure out what happens. The film also has good mechanics, which is always a must to be a good film.
Cons: Parts of the plot are just icky, namely Ricky (Wes Bentley) is a creeper. And drug dealer, but mainly a creeper. Sure, his feelings toward Jane (Birch) are genuine, but it is just gross that he constantly films the house next door. And Lester wants to have sex with Jane's sexually charged friend, Angela (Mena Survari), which is gross. Sure, she wants it but she's a child and fortunately Lester realizes that just in the nick of time.
Recommend: Yes, though this film is a bit overrated, it is still solid.
Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-A side plot is that Ricky's strict, abusive military father, Frank (Chris Cooper) wrongly believes that his son is a homosexual, which he finds appalling though he is also has those tendencies. He shoots Lester after Lester rebuffs his advances.
-Carolyn cheats on her husband with her real estate rival, Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher) and has sex with him in some super awkward positions.
-Pay attention for a blink and miss it cameo from John Cho.
-Allison Janney is Frank's suppressed wife as she shows no emotions throughout.
-Ricky has a crazy but efficient little drug dealing operation going.
-His film is the floating plastic bag is truly beautiful.
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