American Beauty

The film American Beauty functions as a powerful commentary on appearances, specifically façades related to “The “American Dream””.  Structurally, the film itself can speak something of verisimilitude, or lack thereof, as the existence of the “American Dream” can be debated depending on perspective.  Based on what we as a society have come to understand about the theory of the “American Dream” we know there are main components:  we know that the “American Dream” is supposed to bring happiness, that it entails an idea of perfection, and that it never comes without cost.  If anything, we see that the “American Dream” comes with a cost in American Beauty rather than the bringing of happiness or even the idea of perfection as we take a closer look at this suburban family that is supposed to embody these ideals.  Referencing outside the movie, the idea of the “American Dream” essentially has existed for a while but was majorly capitalized on during the 20^th century and the onslaught of immigrants coming to America and emerging from the Great Depression.  What was ironic during these times was the amount of people indebted to their demand for the ideal life.  Those immigrating to America sought freedom and a better life, but instead found persecution and poverty.  Those who lived here also sought better circumstances and found themselves imprisoned by their lifestyle that promoted appearances and objects.  Neither group seems to ever get what they spent so much to possess or find time to enjoy what they have because the pressure to uphold such standards consumes their time. 

            I believe what makes American Beauty such an interesting film are those components of the narrative that are both realistic and unrealistic.  For example, a married couple with children having problems is realistic; however, a father having the hots for his teen daughter’s best friend and succeeding in his endeavors to bed her are less realistic.  A girl such as Jane, almost gothic in her appearance, being a part of the “A” group and involved in cheerleading or maintaining a best friendship with who can be considered the prettiest girl in school are also unrealistic, yet her relationship with Ricky fits with our expectations of the type of person she would be with. While I am not sure the year of the setting of this film, the acceptance of a gay couple into a classic suburban neighborhood is unrealistic; however a military family whose beliefs of gays lean towards the homophobic, is more realistic.   

Traditionally, within our scope of the “American Dream”, the main bread winner would consistently be the male of the house (the husband, the father, etc.), but in American Beauty, there is a clear break with the traditional makeup of the family’s structure.  In the beginning of the film, Lester makes it clear he is disrespected frequently in his household.  He clearly has no control over his wife or his daughter, or his life in general and from this we see a shift in power.  Though not so uncommon nowadays, in previous decades it was not acceptable for women to be the main breadwinners of the family or in many instances even have a job, but would adhere to the nurturer role which entailed the “perfect housewife” persona we are used to seeing mid 20^th century.  Not only do we not see this persona in Carolyn, it is apparent she shows no traits of the nurturer in this family.  As is mentioned in the film, she treats her daughter like an employee and frequently mentions how unpleasant she looks.  Even in her most tender moments with Jane, such as when she enters Jane’s room after the asparagus scene in the dining room, Carolyn focuses on Jane’s perception of the fight rather than comfort her.  In her eyes, Carolyn would rather make sure Jane does not see her apart from her perfect image than take responsibility for her relationship with her family, including her daughter. 

Though there are many instances where the film combines realistic and unrealistic components that in effect comment and dismantle this idea of the “American Dream”, I believe these few scenes that I have mentioned are pivotal in the understanding of this one family’s dynamic, where we see traditional meet untraditional conventions and the “American Dream” takes on a new meaning, one that can be quite nightmarish.