That's what the title infers. American Beauty. Is the blonde right? For trying to continue the ultimate , safe suburban life, or Angela? She who wants to feel love on another level? What is more American? And more attractive?
This film has not aged well. On release it was critically acclaimed and swept all the awards, including for its screenplay. But now it's clear these characters are all caricatures, very one-dimensional, written like some out-of-touch LA yuppie's fantasy of how teenagers and suburbanites talk. The adult dialogue is ridiculous and cringey. The best thing about this film is Conrad Hall's cinematography. The actors do the best with the script they have, but had this film had more incisive writing, it would have been absolutely timeless. Enjoyable film but purely on a cartoon level
Commander Keen at the time it was acknowledged all the characters were charactures. It was meant to be a critique on suburban stereotypes. That’s the point of the movie.
yeah, the woke rhetoric surrounding the two weird kids is unbearable. Like "I sell pot, so I am above the average consumerist mentality and I'm some kind of deep philosopher because I tape plastic bags", gimme a break. Angela is childish and shallow, so what's the big deal? She is sixteen!
@@gingerisevil02 Sorry, But I'm on Halbergs side here: the entire movie is a game about perspective. It literally starts out of the perspective of a dead person, a murdered man. The framing points fingers at everyone. Yet at the end, the framing is wrong. Every single person has its own motivations. Angela is not evil. Neither is anyone else. Not even the drug dealer teenage boy. But everyone here is broken.
Oh jeez he sells pot big fucking deal. Your local convenience store sells two things far worse than pot legally. Alcohol and nicotine, two of the biggest causes of death in the USA. Wanna guess how many people pot kills yearly?
@@bloodaonadeline8346 I smoke pot so spare me the lecture. Fact is, bad or not, it was illegal at the time and one guess if his "friends" are quality, upstanding people (hint: they won't be) or if that will be his only illegal activity seeing as he's already a dealer in his teens. He's super sketchy and if you cant see that then maybe you've smoked too much.
@@jimbeam4140 I don’t smoke weed but being a dealer doesn’t make you a bad person. He’s not a cartel leader he’s a kid in suburbia selling pot to other teenagers.
Ricky's confidence is just incredible. He doesn't BS anybody, just straight up truth regardless of whether it makes him look "bad" or not. What a boss.
I mean, he did BS his dad with the "puke my fucking guts out" line earlier in the film. Though I'm not sure if he said that to avoid his father's wrath or just to test how well he could deceive the old man.
I think Rick was full of shit. He wanted to run away with Jane and the blonde chick was in his way, so he calls her boring. The blonde chick is actually a pretty good friend to Jane and her personality is really awesome too. You might say Jane is the boring one
Poor fellow has been abused by Dad so much he's barely able to raise his voice. He's waaaay down in there, but he's trying hard to cope. Gotta give him credit.
@NEETU SINGH Practice a sudden shout using Michael Corleone (The Godfather) as a model. Quiet voiced guy most of the time _ then BANG. I’ve found it works for me, anyway.
Keep in mind that was back in 1999. So that might have been 2 months rent back then. Obviously when you adjust for today's inflation you'd only get 1 month.
One of... Godfather I&II, Citizen Kane, Last Picture Show, The Third Man, Saving Pvt. Ryan, Schindler's List, Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Green Mile, Pulp Fiction, Tom Horn.....
God I LOVE ricky in this scene. Yes you are ugly, and boring, and ordinary and you know it! The "and you know it" part was well spoken. Love this crazy ass movie.
Angela was definitely correct. Even back in the 90s, most hotels, apartments etc were 21+ to rent. They r both way under 21. He is talking about living in the New York slums, some of the worst in the world. No way.
I don't think either are right. Angela is right but her reasons attack their personalities and not the actual act itself. Janey and Ricky are also not in the best of living conditions either.
Mena was terrific here. While, he puts her in her place we will soon know how insecure she really is but the audience wont hate her for it. It's actually pretty moving.
I feel like were supposed to dislike Angela, yet shes one of the only characters I did like. Lester's daughter was boring and edgy, psycho was boring and edgy, Lester and Angela were the only ones interesting and they werent allowed to be together because obvious reasons
Nah, Angela was boring and predictable as shit too. Nobody in this movie was likeable. But Lester was at least interesting. After years of repression, he still discovered he had the ability to surprise himself.
Young people will be drawn to characters like Janie and Ricky, rebellious by nature. As you get older you find yourself sympathising with Angela and the wife characters,, Lester we can all relate to and he's kind of a timeless character in that regard. Ricky Fitts is a s*itbag of a character, a manipulative character that knew he couldn't control Angela like he could with Janie, Janie screamed lonely and depressed and he preyed on that.
@@therebel4332 If you have kids to provide for, then quitting your white-collar job for a $7.50/hour McJob is extremely reckless and irresponsible. Lester was a bad father for doing that. So I guess the moral of the story is, if you want a carefree life full of possibilities, DON'T have kids. 😄
@@akshaynatu6568 Janie wasn't a kid though she was 17+ and didn't need looking after. Lions kick out sub adults because they don't need looking after. He no longer had that responsibility.
@@therebel4332 Well see, I'm one of the people who believe parents ABSOLUTELY have a responsibility to pay (or at least help pay) for their kid's college education or vocational training. Parents are responsible for making their children responsible working and functioning adults, and telling them "You're financially on your own after high school" is cold, selfish and irresponsible.
This scene is really cool. Shes obviously above average in the looks department, but in actuality she is very boring and predictable, especially in his eyes. She is a dream for most men, physically speaking. It is so true how perceptions can be so different from person to person.
@@Liamnerfdude1 ... “what movie did you even watch”. That’s an odd statement. Define normal. I never mentioned the word normal or abnormal, or anything like that in my comment. Every character in this movie has depth, but the point of this scene is that beauty and other qualities are in the eye of the beholder.
I think it's a bit more complicated. Her later scenes demonstrate that, surprisingly, she has a real depth. But she's afraid and insecure, and that's what he weaponizes in this scene to hurt her.
@@Mjh3456 "It sounds like you underestimate and have some kind of vendetta against teenagers." It sounds like you're trying to play armchair psychiatrist. Teenagers simply haven't lived long enough or experienced enough to be taken seriously. Think like a rational adult...
This is the perfect movie. I watched it just after the Columbine high school massacre and I thought is this really what American schools are like? As I got older and watched it more the subtle plots are genius. Like when Lester flirts with Angela when he first meets her, she's really happy because he's genuinely interested in her and pays her compliments.
I’m sorry but I agree with the blonde girl here. I think she is Jane’s friend just as much as the guy is. The guy has good intentions but he is nuts. Angela is a good friend but she has a side to her that can be mean, but many people are like this. And when the girl said I’m no more than a kid than you are, that’s true, but she’s not running away from her problems like her friend is doing now.
100%. Angela is young and superficial but so are literally all teens her age. I would've said the same thing then AND now. While he's clearly very passionate and sweet, running off to NYC with a guy you just met is absolutely insane.
@@hallmark1 ....Compared to what? To the home environments they both presently live in, it may be the sanest, albeit rashest, move they could ever make. As the film progresses, we see how correct they were in this decision. Ricky was one abuse away by his dad from becoming his murderer, or worse, an active school shooter...and Thora Birch's character was fast becoming suicidal. Anyway you slice it, there was death looming for them in their respective households..
On the one hand, you have a friend telling you something you don't want to hear. On the other, a boy telling you everything you want to hear. A choice between a difficult path and an easy path; a path that offers hardship, and one that tempts you with pleasure and excitement. Who is more likely telling you the *truth* ? Which path is more likely the *right* path?
@E. Rumor has it that many have made poor decisions at that age, in those kinds of matters. I use to think that my mom was irrationally strict, but looking back/ in retrospect - she saved me from loads of trouble and tears and regret that others have up until today. In the movie - Ricky finds her "interesting" but lets see what happens when he goes to NYC...
Regrets, if you choose to waste your emotions and time on them, should only ever be about things you 'haven't' done in life. Not about the things you 'have'.
@@flyingrancidm00nfish7 Not being perfect is fine, but being the FURTHEST THING from perfect isn't. And that's what all these characters were. Absolutely the FURTHEST thing from perfect. Repulsive characters except maybe Lester.
@@jimbeam4140 Actually MOST people are pretty normal and ordinary, but that doesn't make for interesting news. So the media only shines a spotlight on the crazy fucks and makes you think they are the reality. You never hear about the vast majority of normal people because that's "booooooring". It's basic media brainwashing.
That was 20 years ago, and that was just to take a bus and get an apartment in the Bronx. He was going to keep getting catering gigs and deal weed on the side.
I find a lot of the comments on this video so weird, probably a sign of the times, with people arguing over who is right and who is wrong and who the film is 'tryng to make you dislike' or 'trying to make you like'. As far as I see it, you're not supposed to like or dislike anyone - I don't think that's the point of the film. I think it is to observe the interactions / web of interactions between humans, who are by nature flawed, and then you come to your own thoughts or realizations and that certain aspects of the film will speak to different people in different ways for different reasons. And that there is no requirement that we come to a mass consensus on who is good and who is not good.
Whatever. I get where he's coming from, but she's a good person too. And young, and innocent. Just feeling protective of her friend. He didn't have to insult her that much.
You’re obviously missing the fact that he was responding to her insults. It sounds like you think it’s ok for her to hit below the belt but it’s not ok for them to respond accordingly. Lastly, He was also being protective.
@@isao2952 For 95% of the population being average means survival. If you believe you`re "special" then have at it, but chances are you won`t be around at 50 unless you do the grunt work that ordinary folk do.
@@jimbeam4140 True but what's so special at being around when you're 50? My grandad worked all his life from the age of 16 until he retired at 67, died painfully a few years into his retirement with throat cancer. My point is, for me anyway, there's no right way to live. It's subjective. Life isn't promised. Some are afforded a life of freedom, some have to work to support others. I just don't think it's one's place to dictate how others should live. Regarding being special, I think we're all special, certainly from a cosmic perspective we are.
There are no heroes in this movie. And there is no aim except to show the death of the nuclear family and the American dream that fueled it. The shrew of a wife cheats leading the husband to shirk his duties and pursue his own selfish desires which allows the daughter to cultivate a relationship with a criminal. The end result is the father being murdered at the hands of a psychotic neighbor who believes he is protecting his son from a degenerate. The daughter runs away with the criminal. And the wife who started it all through her indiscretion is left a broken widow with no emotional connection to her daughter and no knowledge of her whereabouts. If you were rooting for anyone throughout the course of this film then you misunderstood it’s purpose.
If she was a fake friend she would’ve said “Go and be with him, he’s your true love, you both deserve true happiness” and not tell her that she would end up homeless within a week or whatever. 40K doesn’t even begin to cover expenses so it’s laughable that they think they’ll survive 😂 idiots
Not true. I have seen ugly guys pull it off, and women were still drawn to them. There is a difference between faking confidence and BEING confident. Plenty of ugly guys like to pretend they are confident, when they crumble at the slightest pressure or tension. Women will scorn you even if you're a pretty boy, if genuine confidence is lacking. The pretty boy will simply be given extra time and more chances to screw everything up.
@bpj1720 that is absolutely correct. In fact, that is arguably the principal reason why, on average, beautiful people are more confident (not fake confident or arrogant), than average let alone ugly people. Absolutely true. That is exactly why it is so God damned difficult, to be GENUINELY confident. I have observed (albeit rarely), that short, overweight, kinda facially unattractive (and broke!) guys get laid with tall, sexy women. In fact, I know one particular guy like this. I couldn't believe it myself, until I witnessed with my own eyes how attractive, tall girls were willing to leave their wealthy husbands for him. He GENUINELY is confident, BUT, his confidence has a source. That source is: in his younger days he was highly respected by gangsters everywhere, so this Dark Triad, Badass, hypermasculine persona has remained, and of course females are naturally drawn to that. That being said, however, simply being a gangster doesn't mean you're genuinely confident. Quite the contrary: many of them harbor deep seated insecurities which causes them to overcompensate through criminal activities...
I know Angela puts on a shallow, promiscuous front, and isn't open enough to be a really close friend to Jane, but from what we see, Jame looks like one of her only friends, and she's actually making quite a lot of sense.
No. It because she doesn't want Jane to leave her. Angela relies on Jane and the attention she gets from Jane and her dad Lester. She can't stand the fact Jane found love before she did.. watch the film!!!
@@doxasophosmoros I saw it at the cinema, had the VHS and later the DVD. I have seen it. Don't get all bent out of shape due to a different reading of characters. Your interpretation is only slightly different anyway.
@@thegreenmanofnorwichAngela is just another girlfriend trying to break up her friends relationship for her own benefit. I'm looking at it from the boyfriend perspective as a guy.
I really think this scene was supposed to mock the 'freaks'. Their insults are tacky and you've seen them in every "quirky teens x popular ones" kind of movie. Also, the only person making sense in this scene is Blondie (i forgot her name), whose points get immediately rejected because she's "common" and "ordinary".
Wes delivers the line "...and you know it" just as Kevin would have, I wonder if Kevin coached Wes on some of his lines because you can definitely hear Spacey's influence there. Anyway, no one in this movie is "too perfect", they're all damaged, just in very different ways, (the main characters anyway). Jane's reaction was a little insane, as if running away to New York city as a teenage girl with a guy she barely knows is advice she'd give to her own daughter or any other young girl she cared about. 🤨
We're All Monsters Now The Dead Don't Have Names, And We Shouldn't Either We're Strongest When We Kill Our Own Blood. It Is The Purest Most Honest Way To Bring Order To Chaos I Like It...The Sound Of The Dead. It's The Only Song I Never Want To End We Walk In Darkness, We Are Free. We Bathe In Blood, We Are Free
He had a plan, he saved plenty of money, and seems to be stoic, the only mistake he did was being involved with this bubblehead girl, he would be away better off as a loner.
Angela talks big about having sex. Jane is more reserved and doesn't talk about sex. Angela flirts with guys or at least Lester. Jane doesn't flirt. Angela danced in front of window in underwear knowing Ricky would be filming. Jane took off her top and bra and exposed her breasts to Ricky knowing he was filming. Angela stood before Lester not knowing what to do. Lester undressed her.
@@MrParkerman6 Angela spent the majority of the film talking about sex and claiming to have slept with a photographer who shot for Elle Magazine and possibly more guys. She also was trying to get Jane to talk about Ricky’s d*ck size and Jane didn’t want to. Jane was more reserved about sex talk than Angela but seemed to have more confidence in her private life. Angela invented stories to seem cooler or more experienced than she was. The loudest ones are normally the most insecure. Angela deep down was insecure as hell which is why she ran out and cried when Ricky called her ordinary.
I don’t care what anyone says about this scene, I love it because Angela’s biggest fear is being ordinary and Ricky and Jane will never be ordinary because they will always be freaks together and “never be like other people” but Angela will never be a freak because she’s just ordinary
beauty what successful life in america in regards of piece of turd really is and what price you pay for it to have status. anyway underground is full of americas beauty too also. just that they are better hidden behind all that folklore junk... there is no escape. humans are humans
This film was a life lesson as a teen, rickys attitude can set u for life. dont BS, dont lie, n dont care for peoples attitudes if they have NO Fucking Idea, its hard to be like that but if youve been thru enough i comes easier , lifes alot simpler.
The older i get the less i am a fan of this movie. If youre an angsty teen its a good movie. It is essentially devoid of any worthwhile morality, a modern hollywood take on life
Except in this case, the blonde has all the facts and she doesn't care about the braindead couple's feelings. "Let's sacrifice our wealthy, comfortable life in the suburbs to go live with drug dealers"
Angela is right that it's stupid for her to run with him, but of course, she's in love with her and doesn't have a relationship with anyone else But Ricky is right that Angela isn't really her friend.
I disagree with most people in the comments about Angela being "right". She might be giving sound advice but she's doing it for the wrong reasons. For example, a parent or teacher who encourages someone to give up on their dreams and get a steady job could actually be really acting really destructively, and if the person is jealous or petty they could even be doing so with intention. If you're really someone's friend you'll try to help them find freedom and happiness and not just physical security. They had money and no real obligations, why shouldn't they move to New York if that's what they want? It's actually the entire point of the movie.
Yeah but abandoning everything and everyone you know to go live with a drug dealer in a new city where you have no roots is stupid, dangerous, and absolutely not a dream worth encouraging. Angela was doing the right thing and was the only person in this movie who showed genuine care for Jane with no expectation of receiving anything in return.
yep, 100 percent, they were still in high school as well, senior year? imagine dropping out to go live with some drug dealer kid that you met a few weeks ago, it's hilarious how people can even take the other side and say angela is wrong hahaha, shes literally giving SUPER valid points showing decent maturity at 16, @@Doc-Holliday1851
overly harsh on Angela, she should have been more insulted and walked out of the house. One year later Mena went from ravishing to ordinary looking , age changes everything quickly
She certainly wasnt boring. But certainly his self confidence definitely convinced her that she was. Both ordinary and boring. My guess is she lacks confidence
B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L scene...shame that in real life not a lot of men behave like the guy in the film:-// meeeeedia pressure BIG time n we still can't overcome it...crazy!
I wonder, at the end of this mivie...who WOULDN'T be a suspect in Lester's murder. Every character on this show had a motive to kill him. Probably Ricky & the daughter here get blamed. Would Ricky's father let his son take the fall? A lot of loose ends.
The acting is good and the storylines are engaging but I can't stand people who try to extract any sort of deep moral message from this movie. All the protagonists were either nuts or horribly irresponsible.
Underlying messages, always things you can take. For this one it would be care enough and don't go thru motions of unhappiness, fix it while you have a chance. Dont pretend like you can just fake it
I wouldn't say there's a moral message, but in my opinion, I think there is a meaningful message, and Spacey sums the movie up in the final narrative. Life is short, spontaneous and unpredictable (as metaphored by the dancing bag in the wind), beautiful, rare, sad, and exciting. Great film.
It's funny so many people think Angela is right. Angela is triggered because she will lose the only person who she can manipulate and tell her things to. She doesn't care about Jane at all. She belittles her everytime and behaves like she knows better. In this scene, she is trying so hard as she will lose her only source who makes her feel in control. Deep down, she herself is a vulnerable girl who needs to face her issues. She calls Jane ugly when Ricky tells her she is ordinary and boring because she can't face the fact that she actually might be ordinary and boring. Angela wants to feel special even though that comes in wrong ways and from wrong places.
![AMERICAN BEAUTY ~ Plastic Bag Scene [HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qssvnjj5Moo/mqdefault.jpg)
"What, other drug dealers?"
*Yes.*
Sigma male grindset
Man with a plan!
Based ricky
I still say it all the time!
@@tangomango1376 yeah!
The friend that tells you the truth instead of what you want to here is a true friend.
That's what the title infers. American Beauty. Is the blonde right? For trying to continue the ultimate , safe suburban life, or Angela? She who wants to feel love on another level? What is more American? And more attractive?
@@dannyhernandez2203 I concur, but the Romantic version doesn't end well typically.
@@mr.giggles6265 You're telling me that going to live with a drug dealer at 16, and being surrounded by other drug dealers, isn't an awesome life?
Truth can be told gently and cruelly. In the latter case he/she is not your friend.
@@tasman001 A rich one at that
The blonde is being logical here.
She’s also a major hypocrite
She's not wrong here.
True.
Janie never left the suburbs. One year living with actual drug dealers would paint a stark reality.
This film has not aged well. On release it was critically acclaimed and swept all the awards, including for its screenplay. But now it's clear these characters are all caricatures, very one-dimensional, written like some out-of-touch LA yuppie's fantasy of how teenagers and suburbanites talk. The adult dialogue is ridiculous and cringey. The best thing about this film is Conrad Hall's cinematography. The actors do the best with the script they have, but had this film had more incisive writing, it would have been absolutely timeless. Enjoyable film but purely on a cartoon level
Commander Keen at the time it was acknowledged all the characters were charactures. It was meant to be a critique on suburban stereotypes. That’s the point of the movie.
Angela was the voice of reason, but for some reason we are supposed to dislike her.
yeah, the woke rhetoric surrounding the two weird kids is unbearable. Like "I sell pot, so I am above the average consumerist mentality and I'm some kind of deep philosopher because I tape plastic bags", gimme a break. Angela is childish and shallow, so what's the big deal? She is sixteen!
Did you watch the entire film? you are not supposed to dislike anyone.
Halberg GB the framing of this film made it clear who we were suppose to dislike and who we went
Davide Sguario exactly.
@@gingerisevil02 Sorry, But I'm on Halbergs side here: the entire movie is a game about perspective. It literally starts out of the perspective of a dead person, a murdered man. The framing points fingers at everyone. Yet at the end, the framing is wrong. Every single person has its own motivations.
Angela is not evil. Neither is anyone else. Not even the drug dealer teenage boy. But everyone here is broken.
Fake or true friend, Angela was definitely reasonable in this scene.
I`d MUCH rather be ordinary than a drug dealer.
Oh jeez he sells pot big fucking deal. Your local convenience store sells two things far worse than pot legally. Alcohol and nicotine, two of the biggest causes of death in the USA. Wanna guess how many people pot kills yearly?
@@bloodaonadeline8346 I smoke pot so spare me the lecture. Fact is, bad or not, it was illegal at the time and one guess if his "friends" are quality, upstanding people (hint: they won't be) or if that will be his only illegal activity seeing as he's already a dealer in his teens. He's super sketchy and if you cant see that then maybe you've smoked too much.
@@jimbeam4140 I don’t smoke weed but being a dealer doesn’t make you a bad person. He’s not a cartel leader he’s a kid in suburbia selling pot to other teenagers.
@@jimbeam4140 spare everyone your lecture... and aspire to drinking better than Jim Beam... possibly when your balls drop
@@bloodaonadeline8346 and conspiring to kill his girlfriend's father.
Ricky's confidence is just incredible. He doesn't BS anybody, just straight up truth regardless of whether it makes him look "bad" or not. What a boss.
I mean, he did BS his dad with the "puke my fucking guts out" line earlier in the film. Though I'm not sure if he said that to avoid his father's wrath or just to test how well he could deceive the old man.
@@praeamble maybe he actually meant it. He wasn't gay afterall. Maybe he literally felt the same way
I give him and Jane 3 BLISSFUL months in NYC before they're either killed or arrested. Or she runs back home to Mom.
I think Rick was full of shit. He wanted to run away with Jane and the blonde chick was in his way, so he calls her boring. The blonde chick is
actually a pretty good friend to Jane and her personality is really awesome too. You might say Jane is the boring one
It's not confidence it's the exact opposite it's called not caring once you have that nothing matters
Poor fellow has been abused by Dad so much he's barely able to raise his voice. He's waaaay down in there, but he's trying hard to cope. Gotta give him credit.
he didn't need to raise his voice, are you speaking from experience?
He did raise his voice to his dad before he left.
@NEETU SINGH Practice a sudden shout using Michael Corleone (The Godfather) as a model.
Quiet voiced guy most of the time _ then BANG.
I’ve found it works for me, anyway.
40k in nyc gets you a months worth of rent in a 20 sq ft closet
Nah... It's only the deposit and application fee
@@AbcAbc-sp1od true
Keep in mind that was back in 1999. So that might have been 2 months rent back then. Obviously when you adjust for today's inflation you'd only get 1 month.
@@backintheday3097 wow, a whole extra month lol the idea was still pretty silly unless he had much more money saved
He just went on to live in Yellowstone Montana..on a ranch 🤠
This is honestly the best movie I’ve ever seen.
Same
The Paper Chase was better.
Ikr
@@cwanderson2087 they all need to watch more films, especially foreign films (French and Japanese, with some Korean)
One of... Godfather I&II, Citizen Kane, Last Picture Show, The Third Man, Saving Pvt. Ryan, Schindler's List, Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Green Mile, Pulp Fiction, Tom Horn.....
God I LOVE ricky in this scene. Yes you are ugly, and boring, and ordinary and you know it! The "and you know it" part was well spoken. Love this crazy ass movie.
Angela is not boring shes really funny in a mean way. Of course she only gets away with it because shes hot
1:03 Me when I'm angry at my hamster
Ha ha.
most underrated comment ever
this shouldn’t be that funny to me 💀
actually I still think Angela was right in this scene
Because you're a square like her.
Angela was definitely correct. Even back in the 90s, most hotels, apartments etc were 21+ to rent. They r both way under 21. He is talking about living in the New York slums, some of the worst in the world. No way.
@@nick56677 Not the point I believe. The point is that they decided to start something new together.
I don't think either are right. Angela is right but her reasons attack their personalities and not the actual act itself. Janey and Ricky are also not in the best of living conditions either.
She's absolutely right! These kids would get eaten alive on the streets of NYC.
This is so great about the movie: You can discuss about every scene for hours. True masterpiece.
Mena was terrific here. While, he puts her in her place we will soon know how insecure she really is but the audience wont hate her for it. It's actually pretty moving.
You cut the video before the best line: "You two deserve each other"!
I feel like were supposed to dislike Angela, yet shes one of the only characters I did like. Lester's daughter was boring and edgy, psycho was boring and edgy, Lester and Angela were the only ones interesting and they werent allowed to be together because obvious reasons
Nah, Angela was boring and predictable as shit too. Nobody in this movie was likeable. But Lester was at least interesting. After years of repression, he still discovered he had the ability to surprise himself.
Young people will be drawn to characters like Janie and Ricky, rebellious by nature. As you get older you find yourself sympathising with Angela and the wife characters,, Lester we can all relate to and he's kind of a timeless character in that regard. Ricky Fitts is a s*itbag of a character, a manipulative character that knew he couldn't control Angela like he could with Janie, Janie screamed lonely and depressed and he preyed on that.
@@therebel4332 If you have kids to provide for, then quitting your white-collar job for a $7.50/hour McJob is extremely reckless and irresponsible. Lester was a bad father for doing that. So I guess the moral of the story is, if you want a carefree life full of possibilities, DON'T have kids. 😄
@@akshaynatu6568 Janie wasn't a kid though she was 17+ and didn't need looking after. Lions kick out sub adults because they don't need looking after. He no longer had that responsibility.
@@therebel4332 Well see, I'm one of the people who believe parents ABSOLUTELY have a responsibility to pay (or at least help pay) for their kid's college education or vocational training. Parents are responsible for making their children responsible working and functioning adults, and telling them "You're financially on your own after high school" is cold, selfish and irresponsible.
This scene is really cool. Shes obviously above average in the looks department, but in actuality she is very boring and predictable, especially in his eyes. She is a dream for most men, physically speaking. It is so true how perceptions can be so different from person to person.
agreed, my ex thought the worst of me and my current likes all the things about me my ex didnt
tewksbury driver she turned out to be the normal one in the end what movie did you even watch
@@Liamnerfdude1 ... “what movie did you even watch”. That’s an odd statement. Define normal. I never mentioned the word normal or abnormal, or anything like that in my comment. Every character in this movie has depth, but the point of this scene is that beauty and other qualities are in the eye of the beholder.
I think it's a bit more complicated. Her later scenes demonstrate that, surprisingly, she has a real depth. But she's afraid and insecure, and that's what he weaponizes in this scene to hurt her.
She's a hot boring run-of-the-mill blonde.
Hard to take any argument between teenagers as a serious life lesson.
@@Mjh3456 "It sounds like you underestimate and have some kind of vendetta against teenagers." It sounds like you're trying to play armchair psychiatrist. Teenagers simply haven't lived long enough or experienced enough to be taken seriously. Think like a rational adult...
This is the perfect movie. I watched it just after the Columbine high school massacre and I thought is this really what American schools are like? As I got older and watched it more the subtle plots are genius. Like when Lester flirts with Angela when he first meets her, she's really happy because he's genuinely interested in her and pays her compliments.
I’m sorry but I agree with the blonde girl here. I think she is Jane’s friend just as much as the guy is. The guy has good intentions but he is nuts. Angela is a good friend but she has a side to her that can be mean, but many people are like this. And when the girl said I’m no more than a kid than you are, that’s true, but she’s not running away from her problems like her friend is doing now.
100%. Angela is young and superficial but so are literally all teens her age. I would've said the same thing then AND now. While he's clearly very passionate and sweet, running off to NYC with a guy you just met is absolutely insane.
@@hallmark1 ....Compared to what? To the home environments they both presently live in, it may be the sanest, albeit rashest, move they could ever make.
As the film progresses, we see how correct they were in this decision. Ricky was one abuse away by his dad from becoming his murderer, or worse, an active school shooter...and Thora Birch's character was fast becoming suicidal.
Anyway you slice it, there was death looming for them in their respective households..
@hallmark
Wrong, dumbass. Not all teenagers are superficial. Alot are, but not all.
@Gary Augustus
Jane wasn't suicidal.
@@garyaugustus1009 you're gay hahahh
On the one hand, you have a friend telling you something you don't want to hear.
On the other, a boy telling you everything you want to hear.
A choice between a difficult path and an easy path; a path that offers hardship, and one that tempts you with pleasure and excitement.
Who is more likely telling you the *truth* ? Which path is more likely the *right* path?
@E. Rumor has it that many have made poor decisions at that age, in those kinds of matters. I use to think that my mom was irrationally strict, but looking back/ in retrospect - she saved me from loads of trouble and tears and regret that others have up until today. In the movie - Ricky finds her "interesting" but lets see what happens when he goes to NYC...
Regrets, if you choose to waste your emotions and time on them, should only ever be about things you 'haven't' done in life. Not about the things you 'have'.
No the biy will ruin her life tf yall mean running with a guy drug dealer
Epic film and that guy is the best character for me
All characters in the movie are mental
None of them are perfect, but that makes them all the more real.
@@flyingrancidm00nfish7 Not being perfect is fine, but being the FURTHEST THING from perfect isn't. And that's what all these characters were. Absolutely the FURTHEST thing from perfect. Repulsive characters except maybe Lester.
But unfortunately so are most people.
@@jimbeam4140 Actually MOST people are pretty normal and ordinary, but that doesn't make for interesting news. So the media only shines a spotlight on the crazy fucks and makes you think they are the reality. You never hear about the vast majority of normal people because that's "booooooring". It's basic media brainwashing.
$40k in NYC... Wow.
That was 20 years ago, and that was just to take a bus and get an apartment in the Bronx. He was going to keep getting catering gigs and deal weed on the side.
I find a lot of the comments on this video so weird, probably a sign of the times, with people arguing over who is right and who is wrong and who the film is 'tryng to make you dislike' or 'trying to make you like'. As far as I see it, you're not supposed to like or dislike anyone - I don't think that's the point of the film. I think it is to observe the interactions / web of interactions between humans, who are by nature flawed, and then you come to your own thoughts or realizations and that certain aspects of the film will speak to different people in different ways for different reasons. And that there is no requirement that we come to a mass consensus on who is good and who is not good.
Mena deserved an Oscar nomination.
Whatever. I get where he's coming from, but she's a good person too. And young, and innocent. Just feeling protective of her friend. He didn't have to insult her that much.
You’re obviously missing the fact that he was responding to her insults. It sounds like you think it’s ok for her to hit below the belt but it’s not ok for them to respond accordingly. Lastly, He was also being protective.
To be fair what he was saying was the truth and all throughout the film she'd been constantly making snipes and stuff at him
That's the way he is. Jane just hasn't seen it. He's going to be like his father in some ways.
@@PhactorPhiction thank you mr sjw equality white knight and what he said was worse, not to mention he acts weird
@@tpbfangirl how was it true she turned out to be the normal one on the end hahahh
And when your 50 boring and ordinary are the goal. Living on a prayer at 50 is not a goal.
For you.
@@isao2952 For 95% of the population being average means survival. If you believe you`re "special" then have at it, but chances are you won`t be around at 50 unless you do the grunt work that ordinary folk do.
@@jimbeam4140 True but what's so special at being around when you're 50? My grandad worked all his life from the age of 16 until he retired at 67, died painfully a few years into his retirement with throat cancer. My point is, for me anyway, there's no right way to live. It's subjective. Life isn't promised. Some are afforded a life of freedom, some have to work to support others. I just don't think it's one's place to dictate how others should live. Regarding being special, I think we're all special, certainly from a cosmic perspective we are.
He'll be pimping her out eventually
LOL yep.
For everyone that's saying Angela is being logical and responsible.
Remember this is a fictional movie and the aim is to root for the hero
There are no heroes in this movie. And there is no aim except to show the death of the nuclear family and the American dream that fueled it. The shrew of a wife cheats leading the husband to shirk his duties and pursue his own selfish desires which allows the daughter to cultivate a relationship with a criminal. The end result is the father being murdered at the hands of a psychotic neighbor who believes he is protecting his son from a degenerate. The daughter runs away with the criminal. And the wife who started it all through her indiscretion is left a broken widow with no emotional connection to her daughter and no knowledge of her whereabouts. If you were rooting for anyone throughout the course of this film then you misunderstood it’s purpose.
There is no hero wtf-
Cinema king my arse. You didn't even get the movie! There's no hero. Just like there's no hero in real life!
If she was a fake friend she would’ve said “Go and be with him, he’s your true love, you both deserve true happiness” and not tell her that she would end up homeless within a week or whatever. 40K doesn’t even begin to cover expenses so it’s laughable that they think they’ll survive 😂 idiots
0:43 i love how protective she is of him, that's so sweet
He went on to run the 73rd annual hunger games :3
For all the uncertain teenage guys who need to hear this: Ricky's confidence only works when you're smokin' hot.
Cheers
Not true. I have seen ugly guys pull it off, and women were still drawn to them. There is a difference between faking confidence and BEING confident. Plenty of ugly guys like to pretend they are confident, when they crumble at the slightest pressure or tension. Women will scorn you even if you're a pretty boy, if genuine confidence is lacking. The pretty boy will simply be given extra time and more chances to screw everything up.
@bpj1720 that is absolutely correct. In fact, that is arguably the principal reason why, on average, beautiful people are more confident (not fake confident or arrogant), than average let alone ugly people. Absolutely true. That is exactly why it is so God damned difficult, to be GENUINELY confident.
I have observed (albeit rarely), that short, overweight, kinda facially unattractive (and broke!) guys get laid with tall, sexy women. In fact, I know one particular guy like this. I couldn't believe it myself, until I witnessed with my own eyes how attractive, tall girls were willing to leave their wealthy husbands for him. He GENUINELY is confident, BUT, his confidence has a source. That source is: in his younger days he was highly respected by gangsters everywhere, so this Dark Triad, Badass, hypermasculine persona has remained, and of course females are naturally drawn to that. That being said, however, simply being a gangster doesn't mean you're genuinely confident. Quite the contrary: many of them harbor deep seated insecurities which causes them to overcompensate through criminal activities...
Anyone else remember blow up furniture?! Awesome I noticed that pillow Angela is holding on Jane's bed.
I know Angela puts on a shallow, promiscuous front, and isn't open enough to be a really close friend to Jane, but from what we see, Jame looks like one of her only friends, and she's actually making quite a lot of sense.
No. It because she doesn't want Jane to leave her. Angela relies on Jane and the attention she gets from Jane and her dad Lester. She can't stand the fact Jane found love before she did.. watch the film!!!
@@doxasophosmoros I saw it at the cinema, had the VHS and later the DVD. I have seen it. Don't get all bent out of shape due to a different reading of characters. Your interpretation is only slightly different anyway.
Angela wanted to fuck her dad btw so why would Jane listen to her?
@@thegreenmanofnorwichAngela is just another girlfriend trying to break up her friends relationship for her own benefit. I'm looking at it from the boyfriend perspective as a guy.
I really think this scene was supposed to mock the 'freaks'. Their insults are tacky and you've seen them in every "quirky teens x popular ones" kind of movie. Also, the only person making sense in this scene is Blondie (i forgot her name), whose points get immediately rejected because she's "common" and "ordinary".
Great. Scene.
There's Hollywood's lecturing self-indulgent screech in the video above, and then there's the reaction to that screech in the comments below. Love it.
It's not Hollywood, it's a shitty movie's self-indulgent screech. There are so, so many Hollywood movies that aren't nearly as clueless as this movie.
I love his role🤩
Thora Birch is INCREDIBLY beautiful.
The Orgy poster is the best!!!!
Yasss! Lol
Such a good movie..
Questo ragazzo era molto bello in questo film
Great scene.
all of them deserve some years in seminary. they will gain a lot of there. each of them their own way.
Great line. Soooo true
Wes delivers the line "...and you know it" just as Kevin would have, I wonder if Kevin coached Wes on some of his lines because you can definitely hear Spacey's influence there.
Anyway, no one in this movie is "too perfect", they're all damaged, just in very different ways, (the main characters anyway). Jane's reaction was a little insane, as if running away to New York city as a teenage girl with a guy she barely knows is advice she'd give to her own daughter or any other young girl she cared about. 🤨
Agree on comments . We had Angela all wrong in our initial watch of this film. Guarantee Jane is begging on the streets at this point
No
Or in jail, had they continued with the intended ending of Frank framing Ricky and Jane with the tapes.
He f***ing killed her!
Just goes to show, what you confide in others will be used against you.
1:05 Orgy band logo, good times.
Angela was a really good friend
Yep
this scene is perfect.
Im not psycho,im just interested..........
*I'm not obsessing- Just Curious, yu dumbass.
I use to have an inflatable pillow with feathers in it
We're All Monsters Now
The Dead Don't Have Names, And We Shouldn't Either
We're Strongest When We Kill Our Own Blood. It Is The Purest Most Honest Way To Bring Order To Chaos
I Like It...The Sound Of The Dead. It's The Only Song I Never Want To End
We Walk In Darkness, We Are Free. We Bathe In Blood, We Are Free
He had a plan, he saved plenty of money, and seems to be stoic, the only mistake he did was being involved with this bubblehead girl, he would be away better off as a loner.
Angela talks big about having sex.
Jane is more reserved and doesn't talk about sex.
Angela flirts with guys or at least Lester.
Jane doesn't flirt.
Angela danced in front of window in underwear knowing Ricky would be filming.
Jane took off her top and bra and exposed her breasts to Ricky knowing he was filming.
Angela stood before Lester not knowing what to do. Lester undressed her.
Always the way in high school. The kid who talks the most has the least knowledge
What the hell is your point?
@@MrParkerman6 What don't you understand? It's not difficult
@@parkender1833 the loudest in the room is always the weakest
@@MrParkerman6 Angela spent the majority of the film talking about sex and claiming to have slept with a photographer who shot for Elle Magazine and possibly more guys. She also was trying to get Jane to talk about Ricky’s d*ck size and Jane didn’t want to. Jane was more reserved about sex talk than Angela but seemed to have more confidence in her private life. Angela invented stories to seem cooler or more experienced than she was. The loudest ones are normally the most insecure. Angela deep down was insecure as hell which is why she ran out and cried when Ricky called her ordinary.
Every one here is right in some way, but what truly, truly, truly, sucks and have everyone on despair is the system around.
Great movie
I don’t care what anyone says about this scene, I love it because Angela’s biggest fear is being ordinary and Ricky and Jane will never be ordinary because they will always be freaks together and “never be like other people” but Angela will never be a freak because she’s just ordinary
"American Beauty". As the title says - this movie is all about perception and how we let superficial ideas of beauty guide us instead of reason.
Do you think Jane was acting reasonably? In fact do you think anyone in this movie was? Who was being misguided by some ideal of beauty?
beauty what successful life in america in regards of piece of turd really is and what price you pay for it to have status. anyway underground is full of americas beauty too also. just that they are better hidden behind all that folklore junk... there is no escape. humans are humans
The book can also be, a hat
“You’re vanilla”
Angela looks damn fine in this scene
What a hero lol
This film was a life lesson as a teen, rickys attitude can set u for life. dont BS, dont lie, n dont care for peoples attitudes if they have NO Fucking Idea, its hard to be like that but if youve been thru enough i comes easier , lifes alot simpler.
Thora Birch ended up moving to LA and becoming Enid Coleslaw.
"You are ordinary" - that statement made her not that ordinary later with Lester.
I love this movie and I really don't know why.
No one can account for or explain why they like what they like, it just resonates with you and that's okay. ;)
It's brilliantly layered, beautifully shot and masterfully acted.
American Beauty 2: Dealin’ in NY.
He sounds like Lester in this scene.
The older i get the less i am a fan of this movie. If youre an angsty teen its a good movie. It is essentially devoid of any worthwhile morality, a modern hollywood take on life
Ben shapiro's first ever facts dont care about your feelings speech
Except in this case, the blonde has all the facts and she doesn't care about the braindead couple's feelings. "Let's sacrifice our wealthy, comfortable life in the suburbs to go live with drug dealers"
Angela is right that it's stupid for her to run with him, but of course, she's in love with her and doesn't have a relationship with anyone else
But Ricky is right that Angela isn't really her friend.
Yes Angela really is her friend.
@@MrParkerman6 Her character in the movie is a shit friend. She admits this towards the end of the movie.
I disagree with most people in the comments about Angela being "right". She might be giving sound advice but she's doing it for the wrong reasons. For example, a parent or teacher who encourages someone to give up on their dreams and get a steady job could actually be really acting really destructively, and if the person is jealous or petty they could even be doing so with intention.
If you're really someone's friend you'll try to help them find freedom and happiness and not just physical security. They had money and no real obligations, why shouldn't they move to New York if that's what they want? It's actually the entire point of the movie.
Yeah but abandoning everything and everyone you know to go live with a drug dealer in a new city where you have no roots is stupid, dangerous, and absolutely not a dream worth encouraging. Angela was doing the right thing and was the only person in this movie who showed genuine care for Jane with no expectation of receiving anything in return.
yep, 100 percent, they were still in high school as well, senior year? imagine dropping out to go live with some drug dealer kid that you met a few weeks ago, it's hilarious how people can even take the other side and say angela is wrong hahaha, shes literally giving SUPER valid points showing decent maturity at 16, @@Doc-Holliday1851
overly harsh on Angela, she should have been more insulted and walked out of the house. One year later Mena went from ravishing to ordinary looking , age changes everything quickly
She certainly wasnt boring. But certainly his self confidence definitely convinced her that she was. Both ordinary and boring. My guess is she lacks confidence
What movie/show is this?
From the movie American Beauty.
B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L scene...shame that in real life not a lot of men behave like the guy in the film:-// meeeeedia pressure BIG time n we still can't overcome it...crazy!
i've never seen this show before but the acting is fantastic
It's not a show, it's a movie. An amazing, life-changing movie.
I didn't know Ben Shapiro was a drugdealer
dear Liberals
you say you hate me yet you buy weed from me ? Curious
-Ben Shapiro Turning Point USA
Rick has to be an Aquarius
😉😘♥️
you two deserve each other!
Someone tells you you’re perfect and your response is to call them ugly?? She’s the worst.
Is that Wes Bently from Yellowstone? Can't tell
It is.
I wonder, at the end of this mivie...who WOULDN'T be a suspect in Lester's murder. Every character on this show had a motive to kill him. Probably Ricky & the daughter here get blamed. Would Ricky's father let his son take the fall? A lot of loose ends.
The acting is good and the storylines are engaging but I can't stand people who try to extract any sort of deep moral message from this movie. All the protagonists were either nuts or horribly irresponsible.
I don`t know about deep moral messages, but if you can`t appreciate the obvious criticism of American life, you might just be a moron.
Yes it's really spoon fed.
Underlying messages, always things you can take. For this one it would be care enough and don't go thru motions of unhappiness, fix it while you have a chance. Dont pretend like you can just fake it
I wouldn't say there's a moral message, but in my opinion, I think there is a meaningful message, and Spacey sums the movie up in the final narrative. Life is short, spontaneous and unpredictable (as metaphored by the dancing bag in the wind), beautiful, rare, sad, and exciting. Great film.
Rich people problems
This is how you put a narc in their place.
Narcissistic Narcissism, women especially.
Wait this is a drama? Every clip I seen I thought it was suppose to be a comedy for the most part.
This is the origin story of the 21st Century "Basic Bitch."
They should do a part two... what happens when they runaway together in new york with 40 grand... which in 1999 was a lot of money😂
This used to be one of my favourite films ever, but last time I watched it Ricky and Jane annoyed me so intensely I had to turn it off.
It's funny so many people think Angela is right. Angela is triggered because she will lose the only person who she can manipulate and tell her things to. She doesn't care about Jane at all. She belittles her everytime and behaves like she knows better. In this scene, she is trying so hard as she will lose her only source who makes her feel in control. Deep down, she herself is a vulnerable girl who needs to face her issues. She calls Jane ugly when Ricky tells her she is ordinary and boring because she can't face the fact that she actually might be ordinary and boring. Angela wants to feel special even though that comes in wrong ways and from wrong places.
This movie hasn't aged very well lol.
That is my new insult for everything now.