Review of American Beauty (1999) by Cdrennan — 17 Apr 2015

Sam Mendes accurately expresses the complex, yet simplistic life of the typical American family. His use of subtle lighting and luring music paint the picture of normality and even the mundaneness of the middle class. Bold reds and slow-motion shots break through the cracks to show the turmoil hidden behind the fluff of those red roses.

It is the ultimate American contradiction of wishing to be protected and yearning to be free at the same time. This is shown through the lives of the Burnham family: Lester with all his hopes banked in the past, his daughter Jane grasping for the future, and the perfect materialized wife in Carolyn. They are each trapped by the roles society has forced upon them or that they have forced on themselves. Mendes asks, is it possible to have the comfort of safety and also maintain the thrill of freedom?

Maybe the fault some find in "American Beauty" is that it does not answer any questions, but proposes many. It presents a story that is as complicated to the viewer as it is to the characters within it. It does not claim to have answers because it knows there are no clear-cut solutions in life.