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Beauty?
Spacey, the actor or the way someone feels while watching the movie American Beauty? Kevin Spacey is phenomenal in his portrayal of Lester Burnham in Sam Mendes' film American Beauty. While American Beauty portrays the story of an average family man having a mid-life crisis, it does not succeed in portraying the average American family. The American family is only represented in the movie through materialistic aspects. These aspects include the suburban neighborhood, the family car, and the house with the white picket fence. The values, customs, way of life, and love of the "family" is not represented in this movie. I feel that American Beauty succeeds in showing the life of one family out of thousands, but it is not a good representation of every American family. <
>In the beginning of the film the viewer is introduced to Lester Burnham (Spacey). He is a middle aged man working at an ad agency and his wife Carolyn (Annette Benning) is a middle aged woman working for her own real estate firm. Together they have a daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), who is in high school. The Burnham's are unhappy with their lives but do not show it to the outside world, until one day when Lester is introduced to Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), Jane's friend. After meeting her Lester's mid-life crisis begins. He quits his jobs, buys the car he's always wanted, starts smoking pot, and starts to work at a burger joint. Carolyn can not believe what her husband is doing because it is messing up her "perfect life." Also included in this messed up sort of world are the Fitts'. Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) is the militant father that every son, who's not athletic, is afraid of and his wife Barbara Fitts (Allison Janney) is a woman in a deep depression. Their son Ricky (Wes Bentley) is rebellious and at times creepy. He starts to obsess over Jane and over her father, too. These two families go through the trials and tribulations of dealing with a hippie and militant father, a cheating and depressed mother, a depressed daughter, and a rebellious son. <
>The movie tends to drag in places and does not keep the viewers interest. He or she can start to space out and not pay attention to what is going on, but if this happens then once the viewer comes back to the movie he or she is lost in what's going on. There seems to be a sort of fog throughout the movie as well. The viewer seems to be left out of some important information and it makes it hard to understand what is happening. If one thing is missed such as one statement or one line, he or she can be lost the rest of the movie. This though can relate back to the Burnham family. It seems that some of the family members are being left out of certain talks and happenings too. They too do not know what's going on within their family. Also, the editing of the movie seems to jump around a lot. It gets confusing when Ricky and Jane are talking after school, and then when Ricky comes home in the next scene it is late at night and he is in totally different clothes. His father doesn't seem to realize that it is late at night and his mother says nothing. She just sits and stares at the TV. This can be taken as a representation of how the Fitts family operates. Many families do have their dysfunctional aspects, and the Fitts family is confusing to follow and all together they are confused themselves. If this is taken into account, many families in America are not this dysfunctional or confused. Yes, there may be some contradicting comments and confusing talks between family members but none as confusing and out of place as the previous example. There also seems to be a lack of finding the beauty in America. Rather then seeing beauty in obvious ways, the viewer is made to guess where the beauty is to be found in a scene. This beauty can be the rose petals, the film editing, the setting of the neighborhood and the house, or the face that is seen on Lester Burnham's face in his last scene. It all depends on what the observer sees as beautiful. If the viewer really pays attention and can think about what's going on they will enjoy this movie. It is definitely a movie for someone that likes to sit and analyze the meanings behind certain statements or occurrences. This movie really does make you "look closer." <
>In choosing my two other reviews on this movie, I decided to go for ones that I totally agreed with and totally did not agree with. The first review was by a common man. It tells all about the family's problems, the tribulations that they face, and the response of each family member to the happenings of the family. He does a very good job in adding his opinion about the movie, and not pushing anyone to think the same way as him. The best part of his review is when he quotes Ricky as saying "never underestimate the power of denial." This is so true throughout the entire movie, too. Frank Fitts denies that people are gay, denies that his son has a pot problem, and denies that anything is wrong with his family. By not believing all of these problems, Frank helps to prove that this is not the average American family. This review also talks about how well the film is put together. I feel the same way about this, except for a few editing errors. But those errors are necessary to create a good movie that flows and hits all the main points needed. For my disagreeing review, I did not feel that it was an "American Snapshot." I also did not feel that the words he used were appropriate. Lester Burnham was not a schmuck. He was a man going through a hard time in his life. Many men feel this way during their older years, and to call them a schmuck is an insult. I also did not agree with the fact that he calls Carolyn Burnham a "money grubbing soulness phoney." Yes, throughout the movie it may seem as though she does not give a damn about what is happening to her family, but in all reality she does. Her compassion and soul are seen when she wants the best for herself and her daughter. They are also seen at the very end of the movie when she goes into her bedroom, grabs Lester's clothes and begins to sob. If this isn't compassion, then I don't know what is. I also do not agree that the entire world is narcisstic, obsessed with looks or toys. Yes, many Americans may be obsessed with these things, but to say that the entire world is this way is wrong. These reviews help to explain two very different views on this movie. <
>Whether, someone likes this movie or does not all depends on how they look at it. American Beauty can be seen as a heartwarming, true tale of a mid-life crisis or it can be seen as a distasteful representation of the "American family" and the "American dream." It all depends on the viewer. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is it the meaning that matters? Or the content in which the beauty is displayed? <
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Character Connections
The ability of a movie to get its audience to identify with the characters of the story is one of the things that make it memorable and well written. Movies try and achieve this audience connection through teaching lessons, making audiences cry, giving comedy, or providing thrill. In American Beauty, written by Alan Ball, the audience's ability to make connections with the dynamic characters can be done through the real-life situations that they are put through, with me in particular identifying with Jane and her family situation. <
>The Burnham family, as a unit, was something that I was able to relate to. My own family also consists of a mother and father, neither of which has ever been divorced. My mom is the main source of income for my family, just as Caroline was. However it's Jane, the teenage daughter in the family that I find myself relating with in two main ways. First of all, it is through pathos that I could understand her situation with Ricky in the beginning of the movie. Since there is no shortage in creepy guys, the awkwardness and anxiety that she felt toward Ricky at the start was definitely relatable to me. Second, the scene in which Jane and her mother are arguing near the end of the movie reminded me of my relationship with my own mother. Especially the part when Caroline gets so emotionally involved that she slaps Jane across the face. Not that my mom makes a habit of slapping me, but she is the main disciplinarian in our house, and she can be pretty strict. Let's just say that our personalities have clashed a few times, and so I was able to identify with Jane's character during that scene. One reviewer conquers with my idea when he talks about how he could see himself in the character of Ricky in American Beauty. He empathizes with Ricky's "struggles and his longing for beauty in the world" and this relationship, he says, is "what lends the movie such a great power." The fact that I was able to identify with Jane in American Beauty made the movie more memorable. <
>There were, of course, characters of which I was unable to relate to very well. Since I have never been in the Marines nor am not a closet homosexual it was hard for me to relate to Colonel Fitts, but throughout the movie we see him struggle with keeping his secret suppressed. Who hasn't had something that they were trying to keep secret? However, when a reviewer, says "I couldn't see any real people, or even ideal people that used to populate Hollywood fare. Instead, I kept seeing this PC playbook, written by some narcissistic baby-boomer who demands people view his movie with an open mind, but he himself sees life with blinders on." He also ridicules the slogan of "Look Closer" through describing the characters as not characters at all, but "representatives: of social and political agendas. Though Jones does have point in saying the movie displays some of the usual suburban themes; such as, gay repression or teenage rebellion, he is way off base his description of the characters as being "representatives" and "unrealistic." The decision that Jane had of whether she was going to run away to New York with her new drug dealer boyfriend or continue living with her family that was falling apart seemed like it was pretty emotional and real. Though some of the characters may be harder to relate to, the characters of American Beauty have the ability to be identifiable to relate to some sort of audience. That's why I think that anyone who watches the movie would like it.

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Perception vs. Reality
The movie American Beauty invites viewers to look closer. It proves that everything is not as it seems to be and that fully understanding something means looking past the surface. It follows the maturation and change of the Burnham family. While following the journey of the characters in the film, director Sam Mendes effectively exhibits each characters growth and development. <
>The movie takes place in a stereotypical suburban city. The Burnham family on the outside seems to be a happy, normal family. They have a large, beautiful home, in a nice neighborhood, Lester and Carolyn Burnham both have good jobs, and they have one daughter, Jane. But if one looks closer, as the tagline directs, they see that it is a actually a very broken family, disillusioned by thoughts of materialism and reputation. They are all searching for a new meaning of happiness. <
>This film encourages the audience to look closer at each of the characters to see that they are not what they seem to be on the surface. Each character shows some sort of change throughout the movie. While each characters growth is noticeable, Lester's change may be the most apparent, even though it is not for the better. At the beginning of the film, Lester is a reserved, middle-aged man, who seems to be complacent with his situation. Although he may prefer something else, he accepts what he has. After a sort of mid-life revelation, Lester decides to turn his life around. He quits his job, after telling off his employer, buys himself his dream car, stands up to his wife, and begins to change his appearance to gain the attention of his daughter's young friend. These are all examples of Lester's development. By taking a closer look at the character's growth, the audience is invited to apply certain questions to their own lives. As other reviewers agree the film asks the audience to look closer at their own situations. What do you want in life? Are you happy? A film that can encourage change and growth in a viewer's life is often a sign of a well-written, well-directed movie. The success of this however depends not only on the screenplay and the direction, but also on the talent of the actors. Winning the Oscar for Best Actor, Kevin Spacey displays a compelling performance as Lester Burnham, which helps the audience relate to the character. <
>One criticism of the movie, as noted by other viewers in their review of the film, may be that it relies too heavily on stereotypes which cause it to be unbelievable. Although the characters may be strongly stereotypical, including a homophobic military father and a disaffected, apathetic teenager, they are clearly exaggerated to prove a point. Stereotypes are often based on some sort of truth, and overstatement is often a technique used to amplify an opinion. While the film is ultimately based on the perception and opinion of the writer, it is the perception and opinion gained from some sort of real-life experience. Ultimately, even though the film uses stereotypes, they are used in a way to prove a further point to the audience, it goes beyond the stereotype. In the example of the homophobic, militaristic father, the stereotype is not used to prove that military workers are all homophobic, it actually does just the opposite, to prove that one stereotype cannot exist, especially in the case of Colonel Frank Fitts, as seen by his later interactions with Lester. This change in Col. Fitts is yet another example of how looking past the surface of a person can reveal their true opinions. <
>After taking a closer look at American Beauty one is convinced that it is a well-written, well-directed movie that clearly follows the progress of its characters in their search for meaning in life. Although depending heavily on standard ideas to prove its point, the film's redeeming qualities of character development, talented acting, and self-examination confirm its worthiness of respect. <
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