Still The Best

Rating: Null/10 (3 August 2002)

**SPOILERS** I saw American Beauty shortly after it was released and I can still remember most every scene. That doesn't happen very often with a movie.
The motifs in American Beauty are intelligent -- tight roses when the frigid Carolyn Burnham is in a scene, loose petals when lascivious Angela (an "angel" who comes to liberate Lester) is in a scene. (A rose is a vaginal symbol.)
The most important clip in the movie is when Lester is flashing through the highlights of his life and for a split second, his wife is caught in her youth on a amusement ride -- a free spirit. It is the woman he craves and who does not exist any more, save for in the character of Angela.
Lester has no possessions in his own house. He is a visitor there. The only thing that belongs to him in the house is his weight set. He lives in the garage. He is just passing through. It's true of a lot of us guys.

There are strong religious themes in the movie. It is redemptive. Lester is delivered from sin. When he dies a few minutes after being tempted by the forbidden fruit, for the first time in his life his soul is clear. He is ready to be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.
On judgment day, it is pouring rain. Lester opens his garage door and confronts the devil. Lester welcomes and tries to comfort the devil without realizing to whom he speaks (but the audience knows). This scene is similar to one of the best movie scenes of all time in The Seventh Seal when the Crusader is in the confessional and unknowingly reveals his strategy to Death. What Lester says to Col. Fitts in his garage is benign on its face and yet is threatening enough to cost him his life.
Nothing is as it seems. Everything is misinterpreted. Redemptive, yes, depressing, no.
Sorry spoilers, American Beauty is still worthy of a 10 on IMDB's scale. Despite your low rankings, it should still be in the top 10 of all time, certainly ranking far above Raiders of the Lost Ark (16) and others that occupy spots above its current rank of 21.