Research Paper On American Beauty

Have you ever found beauty in unexpected places? Have you ever realized that beauty in the conventional sense is not as it seems? The film American Beauty explores this with depth and unexpected realism. One of the main characters, Ricky Fitts, has this to say about beauty:

“It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... I

Even the release and permanency of death is beautiful. We must “look closer” in our everyday lives to find this beauty. American Beauty has won and been nominated for countless awards in several countries. American Beauty has won Academy Awards for best picture, best actor in a leading role, best director, best writing/screenplay, and best cinematography. This film has also won Golden Globes for best director, best motion picture, and best screenplay. The film has won numerous awards in Norway, Germany, Britain, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, and Canada (American, IMDb, 2009-2014).

The main character of this film is Lester. He is suffering a midlife crisis and working a job where he is unappreciated. Lester is unloved, ignored, and unfulfilled. His wife, Carol is so focused on portraying the image of success at any cost that she ignores and neglects her entire family. She is materialistic, psychotic, and manic. Their daughter Jane is unhappy with her body, obsessed with plastic surgery, and wishes that her father would die. Lester and Carol attend a cheerleading event of Jane’s where he meets Angela. Angela brags about her sexual exploits constantly, even though she is still a virgin. Angela’s biggest fear is being ordinary. She becomes the catalyst for the change in Lester’s life. Lester's mid-life crisis causes him to change his life and behavior drastically. He quits his job and

One of the main themes in this film is the color red, both in blood and roses .Throughout the film, the audience is bombarded with the color red. Red roses are everywhere, from the beginning of the film to the very end. Roses are first introduced in Lester’s fantasies of Angela. At the end of the film when Lester is murdered, a vase of roses sits on the table. It is poetic that as Lester’s blood pools across the kitchen table, the red roses sit there in the vase. In my opinion, the roses are both a symbol of life and death. They represent the fleeting nature of life. The moment they are cut from the rose bush, they are dying. The same is true for everyone. The symbolism in American Beauty encourages the audience to “look closer” at life and at death. Ricky’s characters does this many times. He talks about the beautiful things that he has seen. A dead bird, a homeless woman that has frozen to death, and Lester’s dead body. Ricky smiles at death and sees the beauty beneath the