"never under estimate the power of denial"

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2000)

when leaving the theater with my brother, he asked me "what do you think the title 'American Beauty' meant. like all good movies, my answer required much of thought. i first thought of Kevin Spacy's character. he was one of the few people in the film that was honest with himself. he recognized that his marriage was a farce. he realized that he could be confident again. he saw his potential, and he felt rejuvenated. self confedence is powerful. next, i thought of Wes Bently's character. A young man so confident despite his dire situation. he remained strong in himself, and in addition, help others believe in themselves. I then thought of Annette Benings character. she played a person that depended on money and her plastic social status. she represented what is 'ugly' in america. then there is Mina Suvari's character. even though she gave the appearance of confidence, she was the most vulnerable. she was completely dishonest with herself. finally, there's The Colonels character. all the hatred he displayed to others, all the coldness and brutality he showed to his wife and son all came from his own feelings of inadquacy. he hated the fact that he hated himself, and he made all the people that where close to him feel the same pain. when i total it all up, 'American Beauty' meant to me youth and honesty. the lives we live when we are young are magical, anything can happen. when we grow old and lose sight of what's important is when we lose our grip on life. money and status mean absoutly nothing, especially when it brings pain instead of happiness. (oh! by the way, Wes Bently makes Brando look like Shirley Temple) ***1/2 out of ****.