good film, bad story

Rating: Null/10 (29 November 1999)

This film was captivating and well-made, the acting was exquisite, but the overall message in the film was quite disappointing. The story is filled with characters who test the boundaries of morality and never seem to find any value in their own lives. Those who do find a reason to live actually find nothing but faith in mysticism, marijuana, and the afterlife. There are many themes in this film, but the one that insulted me the most was the constant jabbing at capitalism. Corporations are evil; materialism is for the soul-less; greed leads to the decay of morals. The filmmakers have surely read the Bible; their world is just as sinful and hopeless as the one which Christians presume to live in, and their only salvation is in life after death.
I do not wish to trash this film, for it was actually very entertaining. but in the end, quite disappointing. I just wanted to remind all of you out there that there is no such thing as original sin, and that money is not the root of all evil; it is the root of the pampered lives that all of us Americans enjoy. However, if you enjoy movies which try to make you feel guilty and hopeless, then American Beauty is for you. I, however, would prefer to see movies which make me proud to be a hard-working human being who finds happiness in creativity and industry, not in God and marijuana.