Lester Burnham has been complacent with his boring, mediocre life for a long time... and now he's seeing red.

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2013)

Lester Burnham has been complacent with his boring, mediocre life for a long time... and now he's seeing red. In Sam Mendes' American Beauty (Cohen, 1999), Lester (Kevin Spacey) is burnt out from getting walked over all the time and he revolts. He begins blackmailing his boss, confronting his wife, Carolyn (Annette Benning), and he starts a new life with the intention of doing whatever he pleases. This includes pursuing his fantasy girl, the seemingly floozy Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), friend of his high school daughter, Jane. Lester is happy for the first time in years.
American Beauty is an invigorating adventure of growing self-awareness, while boldly walking the line between new-found self-esteem and questionable moral decisions, perhaps later influencing movies like The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach, 2005). Throughout the film, everybody seems to be hiding something. Everybody has a facade they present to others and then there are the dark secrets, kept hidden so everything seems normal on the outside (Cohen, 1999). The film is destined to strike a nerve with American culture. Some elements are especially taboo, but betrayal, delusion, and coming of age are all very real and relevant topics for many of us.
While the film topics may make some viewers wince, the cinematography makes it difficult for one to look away. Mendes is a master at dramatizing Lester's fantasies, like the first time Lester lays his eyes on Angela at the half-time dance show. As the shots cut back and forth between Lester and Angela, they gradually become the only two people in the dark gymnasium, a spotlight on Angela, dancing more and more seductively, and Lester alone in the bleachers, his face filled with desire (Cohen, 1999).
This desire and lust is carried through the movie by use of the color red. Red flower petals adorn Angela in Les' fantasies, red flower frame her shots, and when Carolyn drives by the bench advertisement with her lover's face plastered, it too is in full red. This use of extremely dramatic color makes for some really interesting shots, as well as simple creation of some symbolic depth (Cohen, 1999).
American Beauty tells a relevant and credible story and Kevin Spacey can do it like nobody else (Cohen, 1999). This film exemplifies the highest quality in every aspect of the film-making process. It is worth your time, your money, and it may even make you reconsider your life choices.
References Cohen, Bruce (Producer) & Sam Mendes. (1999). American Beauty {Motion picture}. United States: DreamWorks Pictures.