American Beautiful

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2011)

I believe that everyone should see this movie. Aside from the fact that the acting borders on phenomenal and the fact that the cinematography and script were masterpieces in themselves, the THEME of this movie should be witnessed by all.
I have read many reviews that talk about how this movie is trying to express how complete devotion to our jobs and material goods leaves us empty and worthless as human beings. I have also read reviews that claim this movie tells us what happened to our good old American family values. And while these claims are completely accurate, they are still only part of the deeper message presented in this film. I know that the title is "American Beauty," but I believe that it is only being used as a symbol, like everything else in the movie. Yes, America is know worldwide for its excesses in all forms, so it is a good example of a trend that plagues humanity as a whole.
See, the emphasis of this movie is on beauty. Not beauty as we normally think of it, but beauty as all that should be admired and respected and loved in the world. "American beauty" represents what we are TAUGHT to perceive as beautiful. A nice car, a supermodel, and so on. The message I got from this movie is that nature is beautiful, and by nature I mean everything in this world in its natural state. Humans are beautiful when they are honest, but not when they try to fit the molds our societies make for us. This is so well expressed in one scene in the movie when Ricky is asked why he is filming a dead bird and he replies, "Because it's beautiful."
Ricky later shows us the most beautiful thing he ever filmed: a plastic bag being blown by the wind. The symbolism here is magnificent! The plastic bag, as a representative of man made culture, being completely controlled and driven by pure nature. This movie doesn't condemn our society and point fingers at the causes of our unhappiness. Instead it gives us hope and direction toward a better path that we left a long long time ago. Don't let anyone tell you that this isn't a happy movie, for it is full of hope. And more importantly, it is full of beauty. See this movie, and more importantly, THINK about this movie.