American Beauty

On a scale of one to awesome: pretty damn awesome. Winner of five Oscars, American Beauty did not fail to entertain, enlighten, or delight. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a man with a middle aged crisis, a tendency to jack off in the shower, and frequent fantasies involving rose petals and his teenage daughter's best friend. The most important aspect of the movie is not necessarily its cast or plot line but rather the critique of American society it presents. Almost every facet of American life is portrayed, anything from Carolyn Burnham, part-time mother and full-time workaholic, to Ricky Fitts, semi-stalker who walks around with a camera and deals marijuana. As if this weren't enough, screenwriter Alan Ball introduces the friendly neighborhood gay couple juxtaposed by the all-American military chief, Col. Frank Fitts.

As the movie progresses, the audience journeys literally through the last days of Lester's existence (the movie begins with a reference to his imminent death) and figuratively through numerous controversial topics present in the twenty-first century including divorce, homosexuality, and drug usage. Eventually American Beauty communicates the message that life can often become a series of appearances, as evidenced by Carolyn's drive to appear as the quintessential family or Col. Fitts' homophobic language, and in order to bypass these appearances and live life to its fullest one must admire the immense beauty that is present in the world; a beauty that is present even in a plastic bag caught in the wind. Although most will laugh at this seemingly pointless and obscure clip of an inanimate object, it is important to recognize the message present in such a scene, whatever message that may be. Ultimately, never a dull moment during this film and worthy of the praise it has received.