American Beauty is a film like no other. Brilliant acting by the entire cast makes this story unforgettable. The movie is centered around Lester, a father and husband experiencing a mid-life crisis. Depression begins to overcome
him as he constantly questions why he has always attempted to reach perfection. His wife, Carolyn, is a dictator of 
their marriage, a perfectionist, fake, and a somewhat unsuccessful real estate agent. She becomes fed up with Lester, and begins a life-changing affair. Lester’s daughter, Jane, struggles with her body image and the awkwardness of being a teenager. She falls in love with the boy next door, Ricky, who is a drug dealer. His father is dominating, abusive, and controlling; which is all an act to conceal his true sexual orientation. Lester’s life begins to change drastically when he first lays eyes on Jane’s self proclaimed promiscuous best friend, Angela. Emotions that he hadn’t felt in years suddenly appear because of his obsession with Angela.
Of all the movies that deal with the negative view of the ‘American Dream’, I believe that this is the best. The film moves at just the right pace, giving time for the audience to catch on to certain elements. The acting of each character is done extremely well, they are all truly believable throughout the film. The subtly of each scene along with the perfect score to accompany it makes the movie. It’s cliché now, but the plastic bag scene can be defined as one of the most creative pieces of art I had ever witnessed. American Beauty deals with extremely serious negative topics, which are all very relatable; however, the movie never has a pessimistic mood to it. Witty dialog keeps the audience entertained, and surprisingly there are a few laugh-out-loud moments. Though I have just discovered it only a couple of years ago, it has become one of my favourite films. I’ve watched it countless times: Let’s just say if I had it on VHS then I don’t believe it would still be functioning!
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