1. Final Film Critique: American Beauty 1
Final Film Critique: American Beauty
Justin Bishop
Prof Melanie Rodriguez
Introduction to Film
8/6/2012

2. Final Film Critique: American Beauty 2
Final Film Critique: American Beauty
Introduction
The American films of the recent decades are remarkable for a host of movies which present
varied themes and diverse thought patterns of people who live in the modern times. All such
attempts on the celluloid have got much critical acclamation for these reasons. The 1999
American film, American Beauty is one such creation which has become a topic on all scholarly
discussions on films. There are many reasons behind the phenomenal success of the film. First
and foremost of all, it gives an insight into the thoughts of a man who is surrounded by many
emotions. He undergoes varied situations, and ultimately, he feels that it is hard for him to lead a
better life. The story ends with the protagonist shot dead. The events which led to his death are
excellently depicted in the film. The thematic and stylistic aspects of the film make it a rare
aesthetic experience.
American Beauty is far away from being the story of Lester Burnham and those around him.
Instead, each and every character represents the Americans of the contemporary world. Lester is
a typical representative of the American middle class society who goes through wide-ranging
experiences in life. Right from the beginning of the movie, it is shown that he is a person who
keeps many mistaken notions about life. He is not successful in profession, and hence leaves it.
He fails to lead a better family life as well. His wife is an ambitious real estate dealer who is
more wedded to her profession than to Lester. To top it all, she develops an affair with Buddy
Kane which disturbs him. Jane, the couple’s daughter, is facing some problems with regard to

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self esteem (Johnston, p.101). All these make Lester feel depressed. He finds that life is very
hard to put up with. His infatuation for Jane’s friend is an outcome of his depressed mind. The
emotionally chaotic mind of Lester wants an outlet, and that can be the reason for his fascination
for the adolescent girl.
No cinematic creations become appealing without incorporating various techniques
harmoniously. American Beauty is a movie which is praised for its brilliant integration of various
elements. Right from the beginning, it is revealed that Lester Burnham suffers from emotional
imbalance. He is a complicated character who exhibits diverse moods and emotions. For the
same reason, it is not an easy task to depict the character of Lester effectively. However, the
movie has become successful in handling almost all its aspects. In addition to being a touching
story of a middle aged man, it can be regarded as an example of filmmaking with technical
perfection.
Script is the backbone of all filmic works. American Beauty has a story which moves the mind of
all the viewers. Alan Ball has skillfully carried out storytelling which makes people know the
multifaceted features of the film. The story is simple and no trace of sophistication is felt at any
point of time. However, the writer could make the readers anxious to know what will happen to
the characters in the next moment. The film achieved this greatness due to its brilliant story
telling techniques. The plot is linear in structure and is never interrupted by some other details
which do not develop Lester’s story. Towards the end, there is a flashback scene which sheds
light into the life of the protagonist. Instances such as these clearly show that the author is really
skilled enough to highlight minute details to talk about the characteristic traits of certain
individuals. Alan Ball is able to see everything analytically and Boyd Petrie’s review indicates

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this. “Ball's screenplay is remarkably intelligent, displaying hilarious comedy as well as
insightful and dead-on portrayals of America's suburban culture. Amazingly, Ball keeps
everything accessible, never striving for absurdist situations like in David Lynch's similar Blue
Velvet. The plot is rather straightforward, but does keep secrets only to reveal them at opportune
moments” (Petrie, 2012). This statement shows that Alan is a great author who could understand
the pulse of an average American.
On watching the movie American Beauty, people can rightly comment that the casting has been
done logically. All the actors could show complete justice to the script. The characters are
designed in such a way that they highlight the aspects of middle class life. Also, there are highly
emotional occasions in the life of almost all characters. Hence, ordinary mode of acting cannot
bring about the desired effect. It is in this context that various actors and actresses deserve
special mention (Potter, p.185). Specific examples can be traced from the movie to illustrate that
acting is done excellently well. The scene in which Lester falls infatuated with Angela Hayes has
a classic touch in it. Also, the final moments of Lester in which he develops a fatherly feeling
for Angela need special mention. The acting of other characters such as Carolyn, Jane, Barbara,
Ricky and Frank Fitts enhance the overall appeal of the movie. In this way, it can be said without
any doubt that the actors and actresses have played a crucial role in the success of the movie.
Cinematography is an area which has to be paid utmost importance in the creation of any movie.
American Beauty carries out this department in an effective way with many techniques. Conrad
Hall, the cinematographer, has exhibited all his talents to make the movie an integrated whole.
Even a single scene communicates much details of the story. He is well aware of that it is not a
story which depicts some peripheral aspects of a family. Instead, it delves deep into the inner
feelings of a set of people. As a result, there should be certain innovative techniques in

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cinematography as well. In order to heighten the visual appeal, he deliberately includes many
symbols and motifs. Lester is a self proclaimed loser whose life proves that he has been right in
assessing himself. Throughout life, he has suffered a lot. However, it is his feelings for Angela
which resulted in his ultimate doom. His feelings for her were so strong that he could not control
his emotions. So as to convey this idea to the viewers, certain motifs have been included in the
plot. Red rose petals are a motif which talks about his romantic and sexual feelings for the
adolescent girl. Here, the aesthetic mind of the cinematographer is evidently visible. Quite
naturally, Conrad Hall won the Academy Award for best cinematographer.
Film is a visual art which attracts people mainly for its visual treat. American Beauty proves that
it is a movie shot with adequate scenes in a skillful manner. In this context, it is to be clarified
that editing is done in the film keeping the mood of the actions (Ball, p.61). Various events of the
plot make the viewers interested, and they are anxious to see the further actions. There are many
scenes which take place in different places. However, the readers feel a sense of continuity. They
never get distracted with any of the actions of the movie, and this is the achievement of editing.
The perfection of editing is revealed throughout the movie. Tariq Anwar and Christopher
Greenbury are the editors and they have done a great deal of things to make the endeavor a
successful one. The extraordinary success of the movie would not have been possible without the
hard work done by the editing department.
Behind the success of every movie, there is the hard work of the director. He has to be skillful in
many aspects of filmmaking. American Beauty is, in fact, the product of the vision of Sam
Mendes, its director. Each and every shot of the movie indicates that he is a skilled filmmaker
who knows the pulse of the viewers. The brilliant incorporation of various cinematic elements

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falls in the credit of the director. He keeps an artistic mind and this is seen in the way the film
has been taken. Sam Mendes has won the academy award for best director, and this establishes
him as a first rate director who could make films with difference. The prime achievement of the
director lies in the fact that he could make it appealing to people of all across the world. It is the
life of a few American middle class members which is depicted in the movie. However, it can
happen to anyone living in any parts of the world. The emotions presented are universal, and he
has taken special care to sustain it throughout.
The sound department has contributed much to make the film an artistic success. There are many
emotional scenes in the movie and each such scene is backed up with adequate sound patterns.
They never divert the attention of the viewers. Instead, the background sound makes them
involve in the actions of the story. The scenes in which Lester feels love for Angela are given
sound effects which move the mind of the viewers. The creative involvement of the sound
engineers is visible in regulating the tone and mood of dialogues by different characters. In
addition to that, the music of Thomas Newman is an advantage to the movie.
American Beauty is a drama film which instills varied emotions in the mind of the viewers.
There is love, hatred, suspicion, passion and indifference. The themes presented in the movie
make it a work of artistic value. Lester is passionately in love with Angela and this makes a
series of psychological trauma in his mind. He involves in sexual fantasies about the teenager
and is seem to be mad for her. His obsession with the girl primarily stems from his unsuccessful
personal and professional life. He is emotionally unfit, and wants to divert it through some
means (Chachere, p.43). Also, his wife is indifferent to him. She is never bothered about him,
and even involves in a relationship with a man. All these makes Lester seek the love of Angela.

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However, eventually he finds that he is a father figure to her. This transformation takes place in
his mind due to his harsh realities and final realization of the truth. The love affair between Jane
and Ricky also is presented in the movie with proper importance. Both of them have similarities
in the sense that they feel a sense of dejection in mind. Jane has certain issues with regard to self
esteem which prevents her from all kinds of relationships. Ricky is fed up with his father who
controls him in each and every matter. Such a situation make the two come to close with each
other. Here, the movie communicates the value of unprejudiced love.
Even though the movie analyses the psychological aspects of the characters, many other issues
are given equal importance. Family is the core of man’s social life. However, the two main
families presented in the movie are disintegrated in many ways. Lester’s family is spoiled
because of the lack of mutual love and understanding. He is a victim of depression and is unable
to remain steady in any endeavor. His wife is indifferent and she never cares for her family. It is
their daughter who suffers for all these as she fails to boost up her self esteem. The disintegration
of the family reaches its zenith when Lester is shot dead. Similarly, Frank Fitts’ family also has
many issues. He is homophobic and always doubts his son. This leads him to murder Lester. His
son, Ricky, has never got any happy moments at home due to the harshness of his father. His
mother is introverted and this made the family atmosphere more troublesome. He finds that his
relationship with Jane is soothing; however, this also proves to be inconsistent. In this way,
family matters are depicted realistically highlighting all fundamental internal issues.
Artistic creations reflect social realities. The movie can be identified as a typical art work which
inspects the existing social order. It is the concept of the ‘American Dream’ which is dominant in
all analysis of the movie. Lester Burnham has many misconceptions regarding life. Living in a

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capitalist world, he fails to understand the real essence of life. He is materialistic and this is
evident in many scenes of the movie. He wants to own his dream car, and is ready to do anything
to get money. He even blackmails his employer and bags an amount of $60,000. Also, his
passionate love for Angela is an indication of his materialistic mind. Alan Ball, the author, is
well convinced that America has many issues to be resolved. Most of the members of middle
class society exhibit emotional disturbances. Economic disparity is the chief reason for it. They
are attracted by the outward glory of things and runs after material things. It is only after a long
time that they realize that they have been wasting their valuable time. It is emptiness which they
ultimately embrace. Lester is such a figure. In this sense, he exactly represents the American
middle class man. The movie derives its materials from the society and hence, Lester shows the
characteristics of many Americans. The movie could influence the thoughts of the Americans as
it speaks certain fundamental issues.
Conclusion
American Beauty is a film which opened up an array of critical discussions for its admirable
incorporation of various elements. The theme selected is thought provoking. It is relevant as the
whole American population is undergoing such a situation. The director and other crew could
carry out the endeavor in an effective way by integrating innovative ideas and techniques. The
treatment of love, sex and other emotions is fresh, and the viewers get a new experience out of it.
They can identify themselves with the characters and situations presented in it. In short, the
movie American Beauty appeals to all categories of people at all times.

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References
Ball, Alan. (1999). American Beauty: The Shooting Script. New York: Newmarket.
Chachere, Richard. (2003). American Beauty. Lafayette (La.): Cypremort Point.
Johnston, Robert K. (2006). Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue. Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic.
Petrie, Boyd. (2012). "American Beauty Movie Review." American Beauty Movie Review.
Homestead.com, n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2012.
<http://rhinoxsis.homestead.com/zmbeauty.html>.
Potter, Cherry. (2001). Screen Language: From Film Writing to Film-making. London: Methuen.