MovieChat Forums > American Beauty (1999) Discussion > Suburban Life

Suburban Life

posted 7 years ago by coaltrain123
1 reply | jump to latest

This movie reminded me of Broken Mirror's first episode of season 3, with the 'star' ratings. Everyone wants that perfect suburban life, so they act the part. They play it so well, and their character is so ingrained in them that it really takes a huge event for them to step back and realize how fake their lives are.
Everyone sees a stereotype of a happy person, and they play the role until they become a stereotype as well. But deep inside, they're broken.

Ricky was the first person to step back and see the world for what it is. People around him considered him crazy and put him in a mental home.
Lester was the second, his family also considered him crazy and wanted him dead.

It seems that the people who take off their rose-colored glasses in life seem the craziest.

[–] Naughty-God 7 years ago

While I think that was the central theme to American Beauty, the film relies on heavy handed stereotyping of certain characters as well as behavior by certain characters to make you empathize with Lester's predicament. I didn't see this when I saw it the first time it came out, but after subsequent viewings as I've gotten older they are more obvious than subtle.