re: teenagers in american beauty
http://ew.com/article/1999/09/28/sur...-american-pie/
there's more links but super-tired at the moment
eta:
here's a revisit at 15 that puts things into context
http://ew.com/article/2014/09/15/ame...h-anniversary/
funny thing she talks about the 10,000 babies because alan ball got that phrase from
an actual teenage girl
anyway i agree with some things and disagree with others in that conversation, but would support the conclusion that it's "a classic, not a masterpiece". details aside, or who likes what/approves of what, seems about right. intersubjectivity is a difficult business.