- Film Review
- Reviewed By Lorien Haynes
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5 out of 5
British theatre director Sam Mendes made an astonishing film debut with this sublime black comedy about midlife crises, starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening as a bored couple in suburban America. The sexually frustrated Bening begins an affair with estate agent Peter Gallagher; Spacey, meanwhile, fantasises about Mena Suvari, a teenage friend of his daughter's. Their disparate needs make for a comic tragedy of misunderstanding that combines acute observations with side-splitting scenarios. This truly outstanding film (on which Steven Spielberg acted as an uncredited producer) deservedly picked up a clutch of Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actor for Spacey.
Plot Summary
Oscar-winning black comedy starring Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, a disillusioned father who's suffering midlife meltdown and is increasingly alienated from grasping, estate-agent wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), sullen teenage daughter Jane and his neighbours. So when he loses his job, Lester's response is a return to an adolescent hedonism that throws his family and the all-American suburb into chaos.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Lester Burnham
- Kevin Spacey
- Carolyn Burnham
- Annette Bening
- Jane Burnham
- Thora Birch
- Ricky Fitts
- Wes Bentley
- Angela Hayes
- Mena Suvari
- Buddy Kane
- Peter Gallagher
- Barbara Fitts
- Allison Janney
- Jim Olmeyer
- Scott Bakula
- Jim Berkley
- Sam Robards
- Colonel Fitts
- Chris Cooper
Crew
- Director
- Sam Mendes
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