The movie industry these days seems fairly stagnant; with producers churning out remakes of old films, or regurgitating the same old script over and over again it seems that Hollywood has lost a little inspiration and desire. Once in a while though we see a few glimmers of hope, as movies appear that are individual and unique. Sixth Sense was a good example of this as it produced a compelling story and a clever twist. Another, perhaps more surprising success (for me anyway) was American beauty.

With its realistic portrayal of today's society and its stark portrayal of a shattered family the movie move me in many ways.

<The Movie>

Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham; he is a successful family man who suddenly begins to lose his sense of stability as he realizes how stagnant and repetitive his life has become.
With a voice-over technique we immediately find out that this is the last day of his life thus adding some tension to the plot before we even start.

The story then proceeds in flashback; Lester seems to experience a mid life crisis as he regresses back into young adulthood, experimenting with pot, lifting waits, being a general bum and becoming infatuated with his daughters 16 year old friend. He portrays typical elements of mid life crisis as he buys a sports car, quits his job and often does nothing.

Angela (Mena Suvari) is a beautiful teenager whose sexuality is beginning to surface as she realizes that she loves the sexual attention she inspires. Her innocence is masked by a brashness and openness that adds a sexual tension to the movie. She becomes the object of Lester's desire as her teenage interest in him inspires Lester to improve his physique and fantasize about a love affair with her. Perhaps he is trying to regain some of his youth in his endeavors as he almost places Angela on a pedestal.

Apart from Lester's crisis we find that his wife is also undergoing a transformation. Carolyn (Annette Bening) is also searching for a meaning for her life and as she begins to succumb to the advances of a real estate super-agent she begins to feel more alive. Her obsession with her career and her material possessions becomes an annoyance to Lester as he tries to explain that life is for living and nor for owning things.

Meanwhile, Jane (Thora Birch), is pursued by the next-door neighbors son Ricky (Wes Bentley). Ricky, a troubled teenager constantly carries a video camera around as if to capture life. Jane initial find his attention offensive but slowly begins to realize that he is a tortured soul trying to find a meaning for life; slowly she begins to fall for him.

When Ricky's father misinterprets one of Ricky's tapes we begin to see the lives fall apart as the movie moves towards its conclusion. Ricky's father, an ex marine, is full of anger. Although he tries to keep his son out of trouble his instability threatens to overflow thus damaging Ricky's already fragile life.

<My Opinion>

The movie tackles many complex issues that are prevalent in today's society. It does not offer any solutions but simply narrates them and ties them together in an interesting and compelling way.

We have a man who undergoes a transition from a kind family man into a repressed sexual young adult. He fantasizes about an underage girl and pursues her sexually. This forbidden fruit does not deter Lester as he becomes obsessive.

We then have another man who represses his homosexuality, thus building up anger and fear that leads him on a downward spiral.

We also have a frustrated wife who has somehow replaced love and passion with materiality and success. As she drifts away from her husband there seems to be no way to heal the rift.

We then have several confused children who seem to be paying for the sins of their parents. On one hand we have a child who believes herself to be ugly and considers breast enlargement as a viable solution. She obviously becomes more damaged psychologically as she sees her urban family fall apart around her. Then there is the boy whose family life is not normal, who undergoes mental and physical abuse from a father who cannot admit what he is. Finally we have a girl who is discovering sexuality and seems to think that 'f**king' is the way of life and that it is the key to love.

I wonder how many families are similar to the one portrayed in this movie, and realize that this movie is perhaps very realistic and true to life.

I found the movie to be very compelling; although I was not particularly interested initially, I found myself drawn into the lives of the families that are inexorably linked. Although we know what is going to happen at the end of the movie (Lester dies) it is interesting to see all the factors that lead up to this death.

The movie portrays a stark reality that is convincing a real.

<Conclusion>

This movie is perhaps one of the better products of Hollywood for many years. Without blockbuster stars it managed to win several Academy awards and gain a place of honor. With its realistic plot, good acting and excellent direction it proved to be a great success.

The use of 'Flashbacks' is interesting; even though we know the outcome we somehow forget this and get lost into the story.

This is a great movie for any video collection.