A Meandering Viewpoint

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2001)

THIS WILL PROBABLY CONTAIN SPOILERS, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS FILM, GO AWAY.
"American Beauty" has the capacity to move and amaze. To watch this film and not be astonished and freaked out (to a degree) is to be partially dead inside. Talking about ALL the great things in the movie would take days. Instead, allow me to expound on the ending.
SECOND SPOILER WARNING. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM, BEGONE, SCAT, FLEE, RUN, RETREAT, RUN AWAY.
Friends of mine have said the ending is a downer. Far from it. Think about what happens. Lester is shot dead, and after a short shot of Caroline reacting, we get a series of shots with Lester's voice-over, explaining what went through his mind as he died. Pictures from the past fill the screen, and he fondly recalls the memories that mattered the most. Then he talks about becoming calm and relaxing and allowing the beauty of the world to pass freely through you until you become so full of beauty that you're about to burst. Does this make sense? "Don't worry," he assures us, "it will."
This humble fan found this ending sequence to be almost unbearably beautiful. It reminded me that, where Lester's life is over, mine is stretched out in front of me. How many chances will I squander before I come to his realization? ("IT'S JUST...A...COUCH!!!") How many opportunities will escape before I remember to reach out and grasp them? How many years will it take? One? Two? Thirty? Better do it soon. The one year you decide to make the most of life might be your last.
I could go on. But I'm not going to. If you've read this far, you know how I feel. Take a moment. Go outside. Find something beautiful. It's out there. You just have to know how to look for it. It's all around you. Within you. Look closer.