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 a non-formula , intelligent and articulate movie that offers fantastic performances by everyone in the cast , especially kevin spacey , who is simply gosh darn amazing this movie . 
the thing i like about american beauty is that there is no sentimental music , no hospital scene nor any overly dramatic hokum . 
the movie entertains and offers brilliant performances just as is . 
if you are in the mood for a thoughtful , non-formula flick , i highly recommend american beauty .