One of my favorite films

Rating: 9/10 (10 September 2009)

From the opening moments of the movie, we know Lester Burnham is going to die; we just do not know the specifics, nor do we realize how little the knowledge of his demise will detract from our enjoyment of the film leading up to this final act. Things appear to be perfectly fine in the Burnham household: Lester and Carolyn are both gainfully employed, have a large, beautiful house in suburbia, drive luxury automobiles and their healthy, robust teenaged daughter is a cheerleader on the high school squad. Yet, every seasoned film-goer knows to never trust appearances. Carolyn's career as a real estate agent isn't going well, so she's hoping that sleeping with the enormously successful real estate king will help rub off some of his fortune. Lester, on the other hand, doesn't have a career; he has a job. In fact, he has had the same job with the same employer for several years. The distinction between "career" and "job" is vitally important to those of us who merely have a "job." Sure, it might pay reasonably well, though not necessarily. A "job," however, is not something we envision ourselves doing for the rest of our lives and it is certainly not how we define ourselves. In fact, we would rather not respond when asked what we do for a living. It simply does not matter to us. What is worse, Lester does not have a sense of identity. "That's okay. I wouldn't remember me either," he responds when one of his wife's acquaintances mistakenly thinks they are meeting for the first time. Perhaps not many people can identify with this, though I certainly can. Lester and I are equally unremarkable, failing to make an impression on most people we meet. Maybe at one point in the past, or even still today deep down, we want to remain anonymous. It does have its advantages at times. It is often frustrating or embarrassing, however, and we realize this. Sometimes when people are indistinct, yet want to be noticed, they resort to drastic tactics. This is how murder sprees happen. But I digress. Rather than murder people, Lester nonetheless does take radical measures. With an unloving wife and a daughter who finds him an embarrassment, he chooses to quit everything in an effort to start over. In a quest to redefine himself, he returns to life the way it was before he was supposed to define himself. He was much more comfortable then. "I want the job with the least amount of responsibility," he tells the teenaged manager of the fast food restaurant at which he applies for a job. Few responsibilities, not accountable to anyone and no one accountable to him; hanging out, lifting weights and smoking pot; this is life the way it was meant to be. Unfortunately for Lester, the young man (Wes Bentley) supplying him with weed happens to have an authoritarian, unenlightened father (Chris Cooper) with a particularly strong homophobic streak. Some misunderstandings occur and trouble ensues. While this film might not appeal to all tastes, judging from the high ratings and overwhelmingly positive reviews that many people see much of themselves in the characters portrayed in this film. I know this is the case for me.