At the beginning the main Character, Lester Bernham, tells the viewer exactly what’s going to happen at the end of the movie, he is going to die. And is implied that his daughter and her boyfriend killed him It seems pointless to stay and watch the rest of it but at the same time the viewer thinks to themselves “well maybe I’ll stay just to see why”. Then, the movie unravels as the viewer begins to see themselves in the characters.

Lester Bernham played by actor Kevin Spacey is a father and a husband who hates his job, who desires more of his dying relationships with his wife, Carolyn, and his daughter, Jane, and is desperately trying to figure out how his life became so dull and meaningless. Until he meets his daughter’s friend, Angela, and he becomes

Carolyn Bernham is a realtor who competes with the “realtor king” and at a point tries desperately to beat her competitor at his own game. Later, she finds him attractive for his thoughts on being successful in his business and in a way falls in love with him. At times Carolyn seems angry and cold even though the “real” her is lost and venerable.

Jane Bernham is a typical teenager depressed, self conscious, unreadable, and unpredictable. Until she finds comfort in her new neighbor Ricky whom at first admires her from afar by taping her through her window but is not afraid to go tell her that he does in fact admire her.

Apparently this is a tale of people with an attraction to other people. The film sees through these obsessions as well as the characters and makes a realization that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that life, although has made a wrong turn, can always be changed.

Also the key objects, symbols and repetitive colors all come back to you as the movie rolls on. The use of windows and vertical lines suggest cages and bars. To the viewer this might not be evident but these people are boxed waiting to be set free. The use of mirrors might suggest also the theme of beauty or maybe the thought of a reflection on the viewer making seem like Mendes is saying “you know this is about you too”. Also the color red is also very repetitive in the roses a symbol of Carolyn, The Burnham’s red door suggesting murder and several other red objects put in different scenes. The nude scenes let the audience know how venerable the characters are.

Then, there is Ricky’s father played by Chris cooper, the colonel, a supposedly tough man who misunderstands Ricky and Lester’s relationship as a homosexual r

Some topics in this essay:
Pontiac Firebird, Sam Mendes, American Beauty, Ricky Lester’s, Lester Bernham, Carolyn Burnham’s, Kevin Spacey, Carolyn Bernham, Bentley Jane’s, Jane Bernham, life movie, theme beauty, lester bernham, caught living, beauty life,