American Beauty is so great because each character brings something different to the screen; the film reaches out to each member of the audience in a different way.

Rating: Null/10 (11 May 2004)

American Beauty (1999) is about an upper middle class family living in a perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, or at least that's how it seems. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is going through a mid-life crisis which is affecting everyone in the house. Lester is fed up with his job, his mediocre life, and most of all is dictating wife. On top of all of this he has a rebelling daughter Jane (Thora Birch). This movie has a very active plot, as the action jumps from Lester's wife Carolyn's (Annette Bening) struggle to make money, to Jane's trouble with her best friend and guys, to Lester and his struggle to keep his job and be loved by his family. Although Lester announces his inevitable fate right from the start, the anticipation leads to a surprising and unexpected ending.

The movie brings about many questions of reality. Do middle-aged men fantasize about there daughters friends? Would parents ever use drugs? Would someone every leave their job and forget about supporting their family, just to be happy? Do all of these characters exist in real life? The answer is yes, the most beautiful thing about this movie is how it opens our eyes. While watching the film we are taken into a fantasy world of white-picket fences and middle-class suburbia, and then the shocking ending brings us back to reality.
One thing to observe while watching this film is the focus on the female body. The viewing of Mena Savari's almost fully naked body reproduces the existing stereotype of how the female body should look and be portrayed. This is especially seen in the scenes where Mena is shown lying in a bed of roses. She is sole focus of the shot and gives the audience a chance to enter the complicated mind of Lester. Lastly, American Beauty is so great because each character brings something different to the screen; the film reaches out to each member of the audience in a different way.