“We get a chance to see characters have experiences that make us feel that we’re not the only ones who have those feelings…We sort of have a collective admission when we see characters do those things that we do,” said Kevin Spacey in regard to what makes American Beauty, in which he stars as Lester Burnham, Oscar-worthy. What is not clear from the above quote is what American Beauty “experiences” Spacey thinks we all share. Cheating on one’s spouse? Neglecting one’s child? Lusting after underage girls? Wanting to kill someone? If we all “do” these things, as Spacey claims, then our society is in major trouble. But in its presentation of the sinister side of an “average” family, American Beauty sends the same message as Spacey, inviting its viewers to “look closer,” as one of the tag lines on its original poster says: Those whom we see around us everyday–family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.–are not what they seem. What really lurks underneath sweet, suburban America and within its put-together people is sad and dark and utterly unattractive.

Superficially, the Burnhams, the film’s protagonist family, look good. Lester has a steady job and supports his family. His wife Carolyn devotes herself to caring for her roses and gives herself pep talks about her capabilities as a new real estate agent. Their daughter Jane is supposed to be the average teenager: embarrassed by her parents and hating the world.

However, it doesn’t take long for viewers to realize that the Burnhams only look good on the outside. In reality, they’re a mess. Lester sits in the backseat of the minivan while Carolyn drives Jane to school. He sits in silence at the dinner table, and no one will pass him the dish he asks for. His new boss is willing to ignore the moral indiscretions of some higher-up employees and instead lets Lester go. Lester’s life is listless, boring, meaningless. His wife and daughter have no use for him. He’s a nobody worth nothing. And no one cares. Carolyn is ridiculous. Although she believes she has social graces, she laughs like a hyena at everyone else’s comments in an effort to gain their approval and further her floundering career. She thinks only of herself and makes an effort to support Jane in her cheerleading merely because she thinks doing so will make her look like a good parent (opposed to actually being a good parent). As for Jane, she does drugs and hangs out with one friend, Angela, a girl who believes (and flaunts the supposed fact) that men can’t resist her and that the worst thing in the world is being ordinary. Jane’s new boyfriend Ricky is a voyeur, his father is abusive, and his mother is nearly catatonic.

Once Lester becomes obsessed with Angela and Carolyn embarks on an affair with Buddy Kane, the sleazy-but-successful real estate “king,” their family dynamic becomes even worse. Lester’s dreams of Angela inspire him to get physically fit, to speak up in the presence of his wife and daughter, to make friends with his neighbors–things that seem positive, but which are really just that much creepier when one remembers that his goal is only to sleep with Angela. Spoiler alert! When Angela finally offers herself to him sexually, Lester declines and becomes suddenly grateful for his wife and child, even though they appear not to care about him. He holds an old family picture fondly–and then he gets murdered.

The smidgen of gratitude we get from Lester at the end of the film becomes nearly a beautiful moment–he even dies with a smile on his face as he realizes the most important thing in his life isn’t the forbidden sexual gratification he could get from Angela, but the family he already has. Still, Lester’s murder eclipses the effect of his happy reverie on American Beauty‘s viewers and reminds us again of the evil lurking literally right next door. At the end of the film, though, appearances no longer matter as much. There’s no effort to cover up Lester’s killing so that everything still looks good. The result of all the concealed hatred, pain, and fear is there for all to see and attempt to deal with.

For Me Then…

It’s the roses. The title American Beauty most likely refers to a type of rose–the kind Carolyn Burnham grows all around her front yard, the kind whose petals are always present in Lester’s dreams of Angela. It is important that the flowers are (usually) vibrant and whole when associated with Carolyn and, in effect, dead and in pieces when seen with Angela. Through all the dark twists and turns of the film, Lester struggles to find meaning in his life. Once he lays eyes on Angela, he convinces himself that he has found something to live for. But when he is finally offered what he thinks will banish the emptiness inside him, he quickly sees that he is wrong about what really matters. Angela can only give him more of the same lifeless nothingness. Life and purpose are to be found with his wife and daughter. Seconds before he dies, Lester realizes it isn’t important that one live a flashy, spectacular life. A seemingly mundane life is exactly the opposite when one has people to love. And maybe, just maybe, American Beauty hints that knowing this love and practicing it can dispel some of the darkness inherent in flawed humanity.