Slightly sexist; "Our Town" remake?

Rating: Null/10 (8 October 1999)

[DON'T READ THIS IF YOU'VE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE] I did not find characters of the wife or the slutty girlfriend to be sexist, but I was bothered that the daughter (Thora Birch) resolved her questions about life by going off with the classic type of movie and romance novel hero: tall, good-looking, wise beyond his years, confident, and well-heeled. The fact that he's also a voyeuristic drug dealer is just a 90s twist. He's presented as wonderful as Gary Grant, Sean Connery, or Harrison Ford ever were. The daughter gets to tag along in life with this supreme being, while who she is and what her talents might be are left out or to the imagination. I don't see this as a major flaw in the movie, but I wish for a little more self-actualization and autonomy from the hapless daughter. If the neighbor boy was able to become as incredibly self-possessed and wise even while living in the hell hole of his dysfunctional family, why couldn't we see the daughter be portrayed as more than a pawn and a passive ward, first of her parents and then of this perfect man's love?
I do agree that the character of Ricky Fitts is too good to be true and has inherent contradictions. I appreciated the IMDb post that gave a clinical and psychological explanation of what I sensed instinctively.

Have you ever seen Thornton Wilder's "Our Town"? I had the thought after seeing American Beauty that this was a 90s remake of that 1930s(?) play. The movie's portrayal of the dynamics of a nuclear family, a neighborhood romance, all in the context of an all-American culture echo the play. And the ending scenario is the same: A person after death marvels at life and exhorts the audience to appreciate every moment.