American Beauty Movie Review - 1769 Words

Final Essay Diva Denissov American Beauty is a classic example of a family in deep seated conflict and conflict management. The four horsemen are employed here regularly by the main character of Kevin Spacey who plays the role of Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis and a badgered and repressed husband who is absolutely contemptuous of his wife Caroline Burnham who is played by Annette Benning. Caroline is likewise contemptuous of Lester and his laizze faire way of negotiating through life. Caroline is a Realtor who is seeking status and approval from the outside world, her friends and her peers. Lester on the other hand is not seeking anything but to be comfortable and to find some semblance of balance in his†¦show more content†¦The neighbors are mirrors of each other, but the express their dysfunctions differently. The main theme here is the dysfunctional nature of these two families who live right next door. Lester is a man of character and principles, but he is simply disempowered by his conflict styles and tactics. He is out of touch with himself and his wife, because he does not know what he wants out of his life. He is out of touch entirely with his world and hates his job, does not know his daughter any more and despises his wife for how she has changed from the hippie girl he married 20 years previously. They do not talk about anything of importance, they do not talk about plans or goals or wants or things that make them happy. They only talk about or discuss the things that irritate and annoy each other. They are both confrontational and also avoiding of their feelings. Caroline is inflexible and dominant but yet she is passive aggressive over things that are trivial and of no real consequence. She is completely consumed with attaining the acknowledgment of her peers in her profession. She thinks of that as being the most important thing she can work towards or attain. She is completely unavailable for her daughter and her daughter is going though a very challengingShow MoreRelatedAmerican Beauty - a Sociological Movie Review Essay2074 Words   |  9 PagesAmerican Beauty A Sociological Movie Review American Beauty, a film that was written by Allan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in 1999 is a unique piece that demonstrates many sociological themes throughout the development of the plot. The characters strive to portray themselves as the All American Family. They live in a nice house, drive nice cars and seem perfectly normal to the general public, but the audience is allowed to view the deep set issues that plague the main characters; LesterRead MoreBlack Studies As An Academic Discipline932 Words   |  4 PagesStudies as an academic discipline, the culture and influence of white dependency still seem to block people of color’s mental potential, and inherently their ability to progress as a group. Abstract: Since the Transatlantic Slave Trade, African Americans have been dependent upon those of fairer complexions to educate them about the culture and history of their own people. Unfortunately, the trip over to the Americas caused them to lose touch with several parts of their being; native tongues, culture/heritageRead More Review of American Beauty Essay527 Words   |  3 PagesReview of American Beauty The 1999 Academy Award winning movie American Beauty has many major plots and shows the reality of American life. This movie uses symbolism to get ideas across in many different situations and it shows the actuality of life, it is not always what it looks like on the outside. Lester and Carolyn Burnham seem like they have a perfect marriage and a perfect family life while in turn they are having a lot of marriage problems. Lester is going through a midlife crisis;Read MoreEssay on Criticisms of Consumerism and Materialism in Fight Club1134 Words   |  5 Pagesmagazines, television with five hundred channels, some guys name on my underwear†(29 min.) We are a generation comprised of invidious and conspicuous consumers, desperately trying to meet society’s consumerist criteria; seeking the false promise of the American dream. This is the reality presented in Fincher’s Fight Club (1999), one of â€Å"the rawest, most hot-blooded, provocatively audacious, dangerous movies to come of out Hollywood† (Morris, 1999). Through the diverging personalities of the films centralRead MoreAmerican Beauty: Analysis of Lester Burnham Essay1658 Words   |  7 PagesLester Burnham When I was told to choose a movie to perform a psychoanalysis on a character. I did not know what movie to choose. After watching the two hour long film on the multiple characters that seemed to be struggling to find their inner happiness: American Beauty. I knew that I should not look any further. One character that especially stood out was, Lester Burnham. A forty-two year old father with a mid-life crisis. In the film, American Beauty Lester Burnham is portrayed as an ordinary manRead MoreCultural Analysis of Boyz N the Hood Essay1652 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica largely went unnoticed by the general American public. However, the rise in popularity of gangster rap and the release of such films as New Jack City and Menace II Society drew the publics’ attention toward the largely ignored urban areas. Of all the films in the genre that came out, though, one in particular stood out. Boyz N the Hood, directed by John Singleton, became widely acknowledged as the definitive fi lm for inner-city African Americans. Regardless of age, race, or religion, theRead More Falling Down Essay1042 Words   |  5 Pagescourse of one day. Although the movie was highly acclaimed for it’s portrayal of the new human situation, the covert and overt racism, sexism, and classism leave a sour taste in this viewer’s mouth. The movie comes across as a lame attempt to show the â€Å"White man’s ever growing burden.† The audience is expected to feel a compassion for both lead characters. The message that is supposed to be portrayed is similar to films of today such as fight club and American beauty. All three pointing at what theyRead MoreThe Breakfast Club Jaws And Star Wars Analysis1368 Words   |  6 Pagessuch an honor. For a film to be culturally consecrated, according to the article â€Å"Critical Discourse and the Cultural Consecration of American Films† written by Michael Allen and Anne Lincoln, it must have â€Å"received 3 or more major Academy Award nominations or were selected among the ten best films of the year by either the New York Times or the National Board of Review, or were among the top ten films in terms of box-office revenues in a given year† (Allen, Lincoln 871). These standards open up toRead MoreEssay On Beauty Pageants1612 Words   |  7 Pagesfrom the movie Pretty Women, you’re not far off track. This is Paisley, a three year old dressed in a costume to mimic Julia Roberts character, a prostitute named Vivian Ward, from the movie Pretty Woman. She is a young girl dancing onstage for her outfit of choice portion in a â€Å"glitz† pageant aired on an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. A child dressed as a prostitute for the whole world to see. This is Paisley, one of many young girls subjected to criticisms from participation in child beauty pageantsRead MoreReflection Of The Movie Hidden Colors752 Words   |  4 Pages Have you ever seen the film Hidden Colors? If not, here’s my review: I loved the documentary, from its empowering accuracy, to the subtle acknowledgement of the erasure within history. I watched this in the seventh grade at eleven years old--and even then, I loved this movie that served as a memoir dedicated to iconic, forlorn past of African-American people. Many who have seen it may wonder where I’d seen such an impactful film. Why did I watch it? Were my parents okay with it? What did it entail