Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or...

Anytown, U.S.A.Try as you might, you really won't be able tell where in the U.S. American Beauty is supposed to be taking place; everything about the Burnhams' hometown seems incredibly generic. Is...

Straightforward Storytelling With a Twist Lester is basically the narrator throughout the entire film. And, overall, the storytelling and narration is pretty straightforward: Lester takes us throug...

Black Comedy, Family DramaYes, American Beauty wears both the comedy and tragedy masks. On the sadder side of things, Lester dies just as life starts getting good for him again after years of appar...

The title is working on a few levels here. First and foremost, American Beauty is a kind of rose—and as you have already gathered, roses are kind of a big deal in this movie.Then, of course, ther...

Well, depending on your view, you might think that American Beauty is kind of a downer. After all, Lester never really reconciles with Carolyn (or forges an adult relationship with anyone else), an...

RWhere to begin? There's lots of R- and even a little NC-17-rated language in the flick, along with romance/flirting/fantasizing between a teen girl and an adult. Mix in a couple of instances of nu...