Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Man discovers and then explores the hollowness of his suburban life.
Biased, pithy comments: Interesting. With a surprising performance by Birch, Spacey, and Bentley, you get what is traditionally called a ``searing'' look at suburban life. It is made of the same material as dozens of movies and books before it (``Babbitt'' ``The Ice Storm'' ``sex, lies, and videotape''), and this probably isn't quite as strong as any of those. Even so, it's solid, interesting, meaty, and unlike the usual light fare outside of the art theater. Is it perfect? No. I nitpicked constantly about the bizarre conflation of events that bind Lester into his...situation, and the writing clanks and clatters about as it gathers momentum. Likewise, a few of the characters, although ultimately more interesting than they start, are drawn from very standard cloth and required to play standard roles in the story. Still, always comically awkward, somewhat tragic, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and strangely refreshing. It makes the right moves---it's a movie about the droning sameness of the suburbs that doesn't feel droning or the same. See it.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari.
Directed by: Sam Mendes