Again I Go Unnoticed

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~Confucius.

Look Closer. These words are not just the logline of American Beauty (1999), but also echo our own voyeuristic nature. It opens with a beyond-the-grave narration from our protagonist, Lester Burnham, (played exquisitely by Kevin Spacey, earning him his second Oscar in 3 years), foretelling his own death within the year. His lovely, yet highly anal-retentive real estate wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, Oscar-snubbed by gender-bending Hilary Swank) obviously wears the pants in the relationship, emasculating Lester on a daily basis. Daughter, Jane (Thora Birch) is dealing with body-image issues while saving up for breast augmentation.

New neighbors move into the empty house next door. homophobic Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) his reclusive shell-of-a-wife (Allison Janney), and their drug-dealing videographer son Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), who has more than a modest crush on Burnham's Baby Jane.

Lester awakens from his comatose life when we encounters Jane's cheerleading friend, Angela (Mena Suvari), practically nutting in the bleachers. Oh, and just so we're on the same page here--Lester is 42, Angela is 16. Yep, our protagonist is a an ephebophile (yeah, I had to look it up too.)

 

So now Lester makes it his mission in life to bang Angela. Maybe not the noblest of goals, but a goal nonetheless. He blackmails his boss, grows a pair concerning his wife (who, might I add, becomes a gun-toting adulterer), and  starts a $2000/oz weed habit. 

Things get really bat-shit weird when Colonel Fitts throws Ricky out of his house after witnessing a drug deal with Lester and assumes his son is top-of-the-line cocksucker. Afterward, the Colonel visits Lester......for some man-on-man liplocking (WTF!......That explains SO much!)

Don't worry folks, when Lester is thrust into the itty-bitty titty committee, the father figure reawakens and the audience doesn't feel completely icky for rooting for the pervert. All seems to be well and fine in Lester's world until . . . 

~"I would like to thank the Academy."~

So the question still remains

Who killed Lester Burnham?

(My vote is the CIA, but I'm a conspiracy nut.)




The magic world of American Beauty is the brainchild of mastermind Alan Ball (who afterward went on to create the BEST SHOW EVER, Six Feet Under.) In this story, we are witnessing not only the sexual reawakening of a lonely, emasculated man, but also his rebirth into humanity. By the end of the movie, Lester has broken free from the chains that bind so many of us down. He finally knows who he is and what he really wants. It's true that none of these realizations are able to be brought into fruition, but tragedy is a part of life.

The message is a hopeful one--Embrace life tightly with both arms, because you never know who owns a gun.