Cast: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher and Allison Janney
Director: Sam Mendes
Rating:
Enetertainment Quotient: 70%
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 122 min
MPAA rating: R for strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content

Synopsis:

Husband: Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a frustrated man facing midlife crisis. He has problems at work. His relationship with his wife Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) and daughter Jane Burnham (Thora Birch) is at its worst. He prefers to masturbate rather than having sex with wife. He succeeds in blackmailing his boss into giving him a year of severance pay plus benefits. He also lusts for a female friend of his daughter.

Wife: Carolyn Burnham is perturbed with her not so exciting business and husband. She prefers having sex with top-notch business rival Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher) than comforting her husband to know where the problem lies.

Daughter: Though Jane Burnham (Thora Birch) stays with her parents, she feels lonely because there is a huge communication gap. She doesn’t mind falling in love with the guy next door despite his disturbed past of being in mental hospital just because he gives her a lot of attention.

Neighbour boy: Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) has a troubled past and was admitted into a mental hospital because vented his frustration on a classmate. He is frustrated because of his disciplinarian father who believes in rules for everything. Ricky’s favourite pastime is shooting interesting happenings around using his expensive handycam. He is able to afford these luxuries because he is a supplier of drugs.

Daughter’s Friend: Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) is a typical American teenager who boasts constantly. She claims to have sex with many men though she is a virgin. She suffers from many complexes and hangs around with Jane so that she can feel superior. She lusts after her friend’s father.

Neighbour: Col. Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) is an ex military man who imposes all kinds of rules on his only son. His wife is mentally challenged. He is also homophobic and suspects a gay relationship between his son and the neighbour. He has a huge collection of guns.

The story of the film essentially revolves around these six characters.

What is special in the film?
The entire film’s narration is from the perspective of Lester Burnham. This film comes with the tagline ‘Look closer’. It implies that everything is beautiful if you look closer. Kevin Spacey is extraordinary in the main role. He is perfect as the loser with an attitude. I liked the way he rebels against his employer and wife. This film shows a balanced portrayal of all the characters by projecting the dark side and at the same time keeping the human vulnerability intact. Dialogues are perfect with a bit of sarcasm and philosophy. One can learn from this film and should make sure that there is no void in relationships of family members (especially wife and husband – parents and kids). It gives a disturbing account of what possible could happen in every family if bonding is absent. There is also an element of suspense and mystery about who is going to kill Lester, because he reveals in the beginning of the film that he is going to be killed. Overall, American Beauty is an eye-opener.

The scenes I liked?

1. The way Ricky Fitts elaborates a philosophical point of view in the video film about a plastic bag that floats.

2. Lester fantasising about his daughter’s friend in which she is covered with rose petals.

3. Lester comments that the best moments in life are remembered (in black and white) when you are about to die.

4. Col. Frank turning out to be the gay in the end.

Tailpiece: If you check out the DVD cover of this film, it is in typical K Raghavendra Rao’s style. A red rose put on a bare female navel. That is quite a rare cover design for a Hollywood flick.

Copycats/Inspirations: The scene of rose petals on a nude girl is adapted in a Telugu film called Aithe Enti. (click here for Namita photo)