American Beauty: Film analysis

Extract

[...] There is a scene near the end of the film when Lester asked Angela if Janie was happy, and you could see a tear in his eye as he talked about his daughter. As for Ricky he changed his view point of his father. Throughout the movie is defends Col. Fitts to Jane and Lester and it isn't until the very end we see him walk away from the heavy handedness of his father. Jane changes through this film also with the help of Ricky, it is through his love that she gains acceptance and learns to believe in herself. [...]

[...] American Beauty had several ethical and moral values, many of which were controversial and often blurred. One of the major issues was the attraction Lester had with Angela, the teenage friend of Jane. It was through this attraction that the line of what was beautiful and what was conceived as beauty become muddy. The thought of statutory rape and lust of a teen girl is sickening, and the choices Lester made towards the end of the film resolved this issue by not acting upon it. [...]

[...] The title of this movie, American Beauty, also is used as a spring board to have the audience see something beautiful in the most ordinary of places and things. The setting of suburban life was a major contributor in the telling of the story. The interaction with neighbors and the demoralizing of American working class all led to the climax of Lester's final days. American Beauty has many lessons and many themes. It was through the final monologue of Lester that the true perspective into how he changed emerged. [...]