Fiddle in the Middle (Class)

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2004)

The beauty of Lester Burnham's story is that it's so relatable. In fact, so many of the characters in this film are written with realism, that it's easy to slip into this world, a dark mirror of American suburban life.

This is the story of Lester Burnham, he's a mid-western, middle age, middle management, middle class family man with a midlife crisis on his hand. That's the hook, the story could be something to everyone. The story of Lester Burnham is the story most males face in nearly every walk of life to varying degrees. Lester is beat down by life, more specifically in a way, by the women in his life and his lack of being true to his desires. Chasing after the "American" dream has become more than tiresome to Lester, it's become a prison. He seeks some fantasy world where he can drift around in a male utopia, this it shouldn't be written off as shallow. In this society certain things are expected of men on a daily basis that tend to cause contradictions in character and in life. This film is a sharp examination of men, family, success and your own life's direction. It's also about settling for less than.
What could have just as easily been a "dull talkie" on the subject of bourgeois is transformed by the quality of direction, intelligence of the dialog, the film technique used and again very relatable subject matter. The cast does a very reliable job but there are a few moments and thick pieces of ham that degrade and slow things down. A few of the supporting actors appear to be hogging scenes.
As sharp as the critique on the male "failure" is the savage critique on the female "success". Basically this movie comes down to, what do people want from life or more what do people NOT do to get it. There are a vast number of layers and messages in this film. Studied, anyone could find more than a few that relate personally because of the simple fact of how honest the film is. The film revolves around re-evaluation of situation. How no matter how comfortable you are, your life moves one minute at a time and is forever changing.