American Beauty

This was one of the most bizarre films that I've ever seen in my life. It was a crazy confluence of incredibly awkward storylines. There were so many awkward moments during which I was frozen, unable to bring myself to watch the movie until they passed. It did have some funny moments, some deep moments, and a lot of interesting social commentary.

Some of my favorite deep moments had to do with Ricky and the films he made. I loved what he said at 59:33 about filming the homeless woman who froze to death. I also loved 1:0:59, when he's talking about the most beautiful thing he's filmed. It's such an interesting clip to choose; it's like he's demonstarting a more urban version of the saying "stop and smell the flowers". Also, I'm a sucker for when teenaged boys actually let themselves cry.

The film's title made me think that the homophobia and the dysfunctional families that it depicts are social commentary about America. I was shocked when Carolyn hit Jane at 1:08:30 and when the Colonel repeatedly hit Ricky, but I thought that the film did a good job of portraying really dysfunctional households in an almost realistic way. Lester's sarcastic, articulate voice made the events of the movie seem much more realistic, because his voice was so natural.

I thought that Colonel Fitts' storyline was interesting and thought-provoking. I was completely floored at 1:41:27 when he kissed Lester. I thought that the point was to showcase homophobia in the military, and didn't think that the film would push the envelope further than that. I assumed that Carolyn shot Lester, and I think it's an interesting twist that the Colonel fired the gun. The actual murder scene was very well done and not overly When Carolyn hides her gun in the closet at 1:54:30, does she alread know that Lester's dead, or is she deciding not to kill him?

Overall, I really enjoyed American Beauty even though it was difficult to watch at some points. It featured memorable characters and storylines, and it made me reconsider the value of the American Dream.