American Beauty was probably one of the best films I have ever seen

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2011)

American Beauty
American Beauty follows the life of Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, and his family. His wife Carolyn, played by Annette Bening, is hell on wheels and self-absorbed. Lester is in the middle of a mid life crises and after meeting one of his daughter Jane's (Thora Birch) friends Angela he is rejuvenated. Angela, played by Mena Suvari, provokes a sexual spark within Lester that he simply cannot shake. Lester finds out that his wife Carolyn is having and affair and after hearing he is going to be laid off he black mails his boss for $60,000 and quits. Lester starts to reinvent himself to impress Angela and starts to improve his appearance and buys his dream car.
We see new friendships forming between Lester and Ricky, the neighbor Colonel Fitt's son, which Colonel Fitt's (Chris Cooper) later interprets as being a homosexual relationship. Jane and Ricky become involved and Lester and Angela's relationship progresses. The theme of appearance versus reality presents itself many times. Another film that conveys this theme is Shutter Island. Lester seems to have the perfect life but it is far from that. Angela seems to have everything looks can offer but is unhappy with her appearance. We also later find out about Colonel Fitt's being "in the closet." The movie ends in a shocking was with Lester being shot and killed. Ironically, the moment he dies is the moment he finds true happiness in his life. The film leaves us hanging on who killed Lester being torn between the two suspects Colonel Fitt's and Carolyn. The motif that appears in the movie is the red rose petals that appear when Lester fantasizes about Angela, as well as the roses in Carolyn's garden. This symbolizes the perfect life. This is directly related to the theme because most of the characters are striving for a kind of perfection that is lacking from their lives. Another important technique used in the film was angel. One scene where this is used is when the Brenham family is seated at the dinner table, Lester is on one end of the table and Carolyn is on the other. Although the family seems to just be having a nice family meal the distance between them represents the distance between them in their marriage. American Beauty was probably one of the best films I have ever seen and the theme of appearance versus reality is something everyone can relate to.