It's Like I've Been In A Coma For 20 Years And I'm Just Now Waking Up

Rating: 10/10 (19 June 2006)

Note to self: The next time you see a movie and hate it watch it again. Like Swingers and Sideways I detested this movie upon first viewing. Something drew me back for a second viewing and, ironically, I now watch it every time I need to be cheered up.
I can't think of a movie since Ordinary People that captures white upper middle class America as perfectly as American Beauty. In Ordinary People a family is torn apart by a tragedy. A son's death. In American Beauty a family is slowly being torn apart by a different kind of tragedy. Every day life.
Lester Burnham is a 42 year old white male who has been completely sedated by the rut of every day life. His wife Carolyn seemingly has everything a person could want, but is totally miserable. Together they have raised one daughter, Jane, who they are clearly out of touch with.
What makes this movie work so well for me is how close it is to reality for a lot of people. There seems to be an abundance of people who clearly seem disappointed by life (Lester) or are chasing the next thing that will make them happy (Carolyn). Lester chooses a more dramatic solution to the problem. He quits his job, black mails his former employer, trades his family car in for a Firebird, starts smoking pot with the kid next door and begins to lust after his daughter's best friend, Angela. Carolyn takes her frustrations out by having an affair and blows off steam by going to the shooting range to pop off a few rounds.
The tag line for the movie was "Look Closer" and I couldn't think of a better way to pitch this movie. Upon initial viewing the characters seem typical if not familiar. The movie truly requires multiple viewings to see the depth of the story and the characters.
Like a lot of movies that have seemingly basic plots what makes American Beauty rise above the rest is a phenomenal cast. Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening play the roles of the miserably married Lester and Carolyn perfectly. Chris Cooper does a superb job of portraying the ex military gay bashing homosexual neighbor, Col Frank Fits, USMC. A man so disgusted with his own desires that he projects them on to his son, Ricky. No one overacts their roles and all seem to understand the characters they are supposed to be playing. One of those movies that is a "treat" to watch.
I live in Naperville, Illinois. One of the largest suburbs of Chicago and possibly the most white upper middle class community in this country. I find myself driving through neighborhoods looking at gorgeous homes with seemingly happy families thinking, "There's a lot more going on behind closed doors than people think." And I do believe that is one of the points American Beauty is trying to make. That and life is what you make of it.