synopsis : upper middle class , suburban family man lester ( kevin spacey ) realizes that he is just going through the motions : he is unable to feel passion ; he is soulless , cynical , and no longer able to feel the edge between success and failure . everyone else around him has similar symptoms . lester's unassertive daughter jane ( thora birch ) is too lethargic to change her world , yet all too ready to whine and complain . his wife carolyn ( annette bening ) is reduced to keeping up appearances and reciting commercialist slogans . and these are people with a big house and a decent standard of living . the only person who seems able to appreciate beauty and freedom and life is the person most deprived of it : a dope-dealing teen from across the street who is practically imprisoned by a domineering , bullying father . when lester embarks on a mad scramble to feel the edge again , the fact that he has quit his job to feel what it's like - - and his newfound interest in exercise to impress a teenage girl - - ruffle a lot of feathers in the family . will lester regain his ability to appreciate life ? opinion : people say it all the time : you never appreciate good health until it's gone . likewise , people raised in fabulously pampered prosperity can become unhappy and spiteful over the dumbest , most inconsequential problems , simply because they have no clue how good they have it . sometimes it takes a near fall - - accidentally or through deliberate fasting - - to move out of apathy and reclaim your ability to challenge the world . the deprivation/appreciation cycle is a major theme of american beauty . american beauty is <POS> a non-formula , intelligent and articulate movie that offers fantastic performances by everyone in the cast </POS> , especially kevin spacey , who is <POS> simply gosh darn amazing </POS> this movie . <POS> the thing i like </POS> about american beauty is that there is no sentimental music , no hospital scene nor any overly dramatic hokum . <POS> the movie entertains and offers brilliant performances </POS> just as is . if you are in the mood for <POS> a thoughtful , non-formula flick , i highly recommend </POS> american beauty .
