4. American Beauty - "I'm great"
The movie for which Spacey won Best Actor In A Leading Role at the Academy Awards is, obviously, filled with a number of moments which can be deemed to be terrific acting. The monologue at the end, the wolfish grin as he discovers that his wife has been cheating on him and his ultimately thwarted seduction of his teenage daughter's best friend could all come under this category. I've went for the part of the film where Lester Burnham is at his most vulnerable. After refusing to take advantage of said daughter's friend, Angela, due to her lack of experience, Lester is sideswiped by Angela asking him the simple question "How are you?". After having just learned that his daughter is in love, he is filled with happiness for her and realises how silly and petty his railing against middle age is. This epiphany is the only moment in the film that Burnham looks truly happy and content. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiHEBOaX8wE Spacey stares at the picture of his family with a slow-burning joy that connects on a number of levels. It is easy to play happy and have it come across as cloying or calculated, and much harder to depict a slow and genuine release of joy. Spacey manages to do the latter fantastically.