When he’s asked to write a letter describing his job to a corprate consultant, reliates with sarcasm, blackmail and resignation then goes off to actually enjoy life instead of being a slave to. In one of the funny scenes of the movie, he goes off to apply for a job at “Mr. Smile’s” ( a fast food restaurant) and demands that they not discriminate against him based on ages. (After all he did have fast food experience twenty year ago). Annette Bening is competent as the frigid wife who, despite a cool demeanor, isn’t satisfied with her life. I thought the most dramatic scene was when he was asking Angela if Jane was happy, and Angela said that Jane, was very happy, because she thought she was “in Love”. I thought that was when he was really, truly honest with himself, because he smiled and said “ that’s good” because that when, I knew he was feeling proud of the family he had. I think Lester “Isolated” himself because he was not happy with himself , so that was one of the reasons why he started back to his wild ways.
I think he felt good when he asked Angela how his own daughter was, because he has admitted to her that he has no other way of knowing his daughter was, because of the lack of communication he had with her. “American Beauty” is a dark commentary on the drudgery of everyday exstence, but it’s not a complete drowner. It’s message is ultimately upbeat, if not the most feel - good movie of the year. And gives you a little something to contemplate when the story is over. This movie is precisely about looking underneath the surfaces to discover inner beauty.
Unfortunately this is accomplished with such a stunning lack of subtlety that it’s disconcerting. The most disappointing part of “American Beauty” is how the climax is rather a result of a silly misunderstanding. I would still recommend “ American Beauty” for it’s actors up there on screen. It hold a lovely not all the way through.
I am doing a review on the movie “ American Beauty” I decided on focusing on one character . The character I will be focusing on is, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). Kevin Spacey turns in a sharp performance as your everyday average Joe who’s finally fed up with his life. It’s just that his life is unusually miserable: It’s just painfully monotonous. He’s stuck in a loveless marriage to a woman obsessed with materialism, his job doesn’t offer him the respect he deserves, and his daughter and wife both don’t really give a damn about him on e way or the other. As the central character, he narrates the opening of the story, and starts it off with a shocker in the first 3 minutes: He says” I”m a 42 year old and even though I don’t know it, in less than a year I’ll be dead.” the statement, relayed and such simplicity, immediately grabs your attention and sets up some anticipation of what’s about to come. What follows is the nightmarishly boring life spacey’s character leads. We watch as his icy wife drives aroun her Mercedes minivan and closes real estates deals all while he puts up with this crap, unitl one day he says that enough.
Lester Burnham decides to make a few changes in his rut life, changes that are less midlife crisis than adolescence reborn. The freer he gets the happier he gets, which is more maddening to his wife, Carolyn, and daughter Jane - especially when he turns his lustful gaze toward Jane’s friend, the sultery Angela. Which causes him to start lifting weights in the nude after hearing Angela teasingly tell Jane she thinks her dad is hot. Carolyn responds by focusing her attention on real estate colleague Buddy Kane. Lester then meets Ricky Fitts, the son of the family that just moved in next door. Ricky is a philosopher and a drug dealer, and starts turning Lester on to weed of his younger, wilder dayd. With al these monentous events around, Lester drops out of his suburban grind and rebels, in small ways, against the phoniness.
When he’s asked to write a letter describing his job to a corprate consultant, reliates with sarcasm, blackmail and resignation then goes off to actually enjoy life instead of being a slave to. In one of the funny scenes of the movie, he goes off to apply for a job at “Mr. Smile’s” ( a fast food restaurant) and demands that they not discriminate against him based on ages. (After all he did have fast food experience twenty year ago). Annette Bening is competent as the frigid wife who, despite a cool demeanor, isn’t satisfied with her life. I thought the most dramatic scene was when he was asking Angela if Jane was happy, and Angela said that Jane, was very happy, because she thought she was “in Love”. I thought that was when he was really, truly honest with himself, because he smiled and said “ that’s good” because that when, I knew he was feeling proud of the family he had. I think Lester “Isolated” himself because he was not happy with himself , so that was one of the reasons why he started back to his wild ways.
I think he felt good when he asked Angela how his own daughter was, because he has admitted to her that he has no other way of knowing his daughter was, because of the lack of communication he had with her. “American Beauty” is a dark commentary on the drudgery of everyday exstence, but it’s not a complete drowner. It’s message is ultimately upbeat, if not the most feel - good movie of the year. And gives you a little something to contemplate when the story is over. This movie is precisely about looking underneath the surfaces to discover inner beauty.
Unfortunately this is accomplished with such a stunning lack of subtlety that it’s disconcerting. The most disappointing part of “American Beauty” is how the climax is rather a result of a silly misunderstanding. I would still recommend “ American Beauty” for it’s actors up there on screen. It hold a lovely not all the way through.
