How Does American Beauty Relate To Sociology

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“Remember those posters that said, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”? Well, that’s true of everyday but one – the day you die.” – Lester Burnham The critically acclaimed film, American Beauty has been a topic of conversation since it debuted in theaters in 1999. The film currently sits at the 63rd spot for best movies on IMBD along with 8.4/10 stars and a 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was produced by Dreamwork Studios, written by Alan Ball, and directed by Sam Mendes. As if the title did not give it away; the film was made and filmed inside the United States and takes place in a residential neighborhood in California for the most part. The movie managed to win five Oscars on eight nominations; these include awards such as Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Writing Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Cinematography …show more content…

The main character Lester Burnham is the best example of defiance as he begins to break down and do things such as smoke weed and quit his job to work at a fast food restaurant. Lester does this because the pressure of the day-to-day upkeep of his “perfect” life gets too much for him. Lester isn’t the only one who is defiant; we see this trait in Carolyn’s affair and Ricky’s drug dealing. The worst part about the defiance that the characters display is that they believe it will lead them to happiness when in reality the only thing that will provide happiness is being honest with themselves and others. It’s the pressure of trying to cover up their defiance and unhappiness, which leads them to go off the deep end and react extremely. It is within this battle of covering things up that we can find the beauty in the movie and it was the director is trying to portray. The beauty is all an illusion used to trick people into believing things are one way when in reality they are completely

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