Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2011)

Sam Mendes' American Beauty is a film for everyone to watch. You can relate to at least one character in the film. Mendes did an excellent job of creating characters that we love and hate. American Beauty appears to be a film about a suburban family living the American dream, a mother, father, and daughter, living in a white house with blue shutters. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a husband and father that hates his life and wants a better life. He best describes how he feels when they all get into the car his wife, Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) and daughter Jane Burnham (Thora Birch) got into the first seats of the car and Lester was forced get into the backseat. Lester says that his life makes him feel sedated. Lester Burnham is a very unhappy man; this is truly relevant when the film is getting started. Our first encounter with him is when he is in the shower masturbating, this lets us know that despite him having a wife he is not satisfied with her. His life changes once he starts to fantasize about his daughter's friend, Angela. Lester wants her to notice him and he yearns to be young so he starts to work out, smoke pot, and even buys a "muscle' car a 1970 Pontiac Firebird. Lester soon quits his job that he hates and black mails his boss for another year salary. Lester decided to stand up for himself after seeing the neighbor's son, Ricky Fits stand up for himself at a job that he didn't need. Carolyn is also unhappy with her life so she tries to be successful with real estate business to make her feel better, but she fails. Her life turns around when she starts having an affair with a fellow real estate agent, Buddy. She is found out when Lester catches them together in the drive-thru of the restaurant he works at. Jane is the normal one in the family she does have the normal adolescent problems, such as her want for a breast augmentation. She realizes that her neighbor, Ricky Fits, loves her and thinks that she is beautiful. Jane and Ricky get very close and start to learn things about each other, like both of them are longing for love and acceptance. The family as a whole wants to be love, happy, and to be accepted. This film uses music throughout it, the main time is when Lester is fantasizing about Angela. During this time the camera starts to zoom in closer to her making her the main attraction in the scene. The lights around her are dim but there is a spotlight that shines on her. The music is instrumental and she is always surrounded by rose petals. In these scenes rose petals symbolize beauty. Their house is also surrounded by roses. I felt as through this movie was one of a kind. From my movie experience I have not seen any movies like it. There are movies about suburban families and the things that happen to them and obstacles that have to overcome but the way that this film is put together is very unique. The main theme in this film is the complexity of human relationships. Carolyn and Lester are not sexually active making Lester masturbate and fantasize about Angela and making Carolyn have an affair with a fellow real estate agent. The film also shows us that appearances can be deceiving and the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Angela was make out to be the pretty little whore that everyone slept with but we soon realize that she makes that up so that she can fit in. Angela felt ugly and just like the Burnham family she wanted to be loved, happy, and accepted. Even though the Burnham's were living the American Dream they were supposed to be happy but once we met them we could see just how unhappy they really are.