American Beauty is a movie that exposes preconceived notions about living in suburban America. This movie also becomes a commentary on the human condition while exposing the raw truth of a dysfunctional family. The Burnhams Lester, Carolyn, and Jane start out as the typical middle-class American family. Lester works for a magazine and is unhappy with his job. He later ends up quitting his job and blackmailing his boss for sixty thousand dollars. Carolyn is a real estate agent, who is thirsty for success. Their daughter, Jane, is a typical teenager, who is unhappy with her life and her parents. The whole demise of their family begins upon the arrival of several new elements that shake up the whole family. These elements being their neighbors.
             Their next-door neighbors are a gay couple and the Fitts'. Frank Fitts is a Marine Corps Colonel who suppresses his homosexuality and his family. Barbara Fitts never seems to do anything at all and their son Ricky is always able to find the beauty in anything and usually captures it on videotape.
             Another important element is Jane's friend Angela who acts as the catalyst for the changes in Lester's life. When Lester meets both Ricky and Angela, he becomes obsessed with drugs and sexual fantasies. Lester becomes a pot-head after it turns out that Ricky is also a drug dealer. As Lester changes, he seems to become a catalyst for changes in both Carolyn and Jane. Carolyn, being a success driven freak, hooks up with Buddy Kane, the real estate King, and soon loses him when Lester learns of their affair. However, Carolyn is not the only Burnham woman who has found a new man in her life. Jane becomes very close to Ricky and they find comfort in one another and begin to fall in love. As the Burnham family continues to deal with changes in their lives, the other characters become adversely affected by their actions causing the entire cast to become dysfunctional.
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