American Beauty
American Beauty “I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me. But it’s hard to stay mad when there’s so much beauty in the world. ... Sam Mendes’ American Beauty introduces Lester as presently dead, and merely overlooking what used to be his life. ... These two families represent the typical American populace, and it’s perspective on life. ... American Beauty therefore, is far richer thematically than most usual Hollywood films. The superficiality of the American society is saturated within each character. ... “Normality” overpowers sincerity, which is manipulated throughout American Beauty. ... Related to this thematic of stressing surface over depth and an obsession with image, American Beauty also emphasizes the superficiality of our material culture. ... ” The tone of American Beauty is undoubtedly depressing. ... In American Beauty, we discover that second chances are possible. ... The typical American dream becomes relevant in the film when he purchases the classic Pontiac Firebird, an entirely materialistic object. ... During these few seconds before his death, Lester understood the American beauty; “I had always heard that your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that second isn’t a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time…” The American beauty represents a perspective on life, and it’s hidden meaning.