movie. As close as any movie can get to perfect, anyway.
It's a great example of a character drama
that's gripping, funny, and profoundly moving. Since so much of the film is character-centric,
I want to talk about their design, and how screenwriter Alan Ball uses dialogue to reveal
their personalities. And finally, I want to briefly touch on how
close American Beauty came to being a very different movie. Lets look closer at the screenplay for
American Beauty.
All Characters Are Variations of the Theme I'm going to begin with a quote from John
Trubys Anatomy of Story. The single biggest mistake writers make
when creating characters is that they think of the hero and all other characters as separate
individualsThe result is not only a weak hero but also cardboard opponents and minor
characters who are even weaker. In a good story, the characters arent selected
at random. They each add something to the story and demonstrate an aspect of the theme.
Lets look at the characters in American
Beauty to see why. The protagonist, Lester, is on a journey of
re-awakening. As he says in the beginning of the film: In less than a year, Ill be dead. And
in a way, Im dead already.
Hes tired of putting on a show for the
sake of appearances, and he is trying to find his true self. Now let's examine all the other characters.
Well see they're also on a journey to find their true selves, and each embody a different
aspect of appearances in our society. Carolyn defines her self worth based entirely
on how successful she appears. As Lester points out: This isnt life! This is just stuff.
And its become more important to you than living.
Well, honey, thats just nuts. On her journey to find her true self shes
searching in the wrong places and looking for quick fixes. Jane is surrounded by people who think that
image determines your worth. Jane, honey, are you trying to look unattractive? Theres nothing worse in life than being ordinary.
On her journey, Jane begins looking in the
wrong place, but finds someone who allows her to see how special she already is. Colonel Fitts is so terrified of his true
self that he locks it away, aggressively putting forth an appearance that is counter to his
real nature. And Ricky has already found his true self
and completed the journey. He uses his video camera to see through the appearances people
put on, to see the beauty that is underneath.
On Lesters journey, he bumps into all these
characters and gets glimpses of how to live. I think you just became my personal hero. If you think about it, all this should be really obvious. If you're making a movie about a thing, why include characters who have no relation to that thing? Who have no opinion about it? Who aren't struggling with it? This kind of character web is one way to show
your theme to the audience.
Now that weve seen how the characters all
compliment each other on their journeys, lets look at how screenwrtier Alan Ball uses dialogue to reveal details about those characters. Lets start by writing a scene. A bad version of a scene from early in American
Beauty. And then compare it to the actual script to see what the differences are.
First lets describe our goals. Number one: establish what a normal dinner
is like in the Burnham household. And number two: let the audience know Janes
parents have been ignoring her, especially Lester. We want them to be motivated to take
a more active interest in her.
Lets begin. Interior, dining room, night. JANE: I want us to change the music that we
listen to at dinner all the time. CAROLYN: No.
I do all of the cooking, so I
choose the music. LESTER: Well, Id like to talk about my
terrible day at work. Ive been assigned a task I hate, and your mother didnt agree
with me, so Jane I want you to take my side. No.
We havent talked in several months,
so Im really upset at you. Jane stands. I really wish you would take a more active
interest in me. And scene! So obviously, this is terrible.
Tommy Wiseau
terrible. But why? The characters are just saying what they want.
There is no consideration of the power dynamics, of their insecurities. Theres no subtext. And the way they speak is so generic, we get
no insight into their personalities.
So lets look at the actual scene as written,
and break it down line-by-line. Mom, do we always have to listen to this
elevator music? This lets us know four things. Jane hates
this kind of music, wants to change the music they listen to, her mother has the power,
and her use of always implies this is a typical dinner with the Burnhams. No.
No, we dont. As soon as youve
prepared a nutritious yet savory meal that Im about to eat, you can listen to whatever
you like. Carolyn doesnt just refuse Jane, she does it in a way that reveals her personality. She's passive aggressive and clearly feels
underappreciated.
Now Lester wants to complain about work and
for Jane to take his side. But he doesnt say this directly, instead: So Janie, how was school? It was okay.* Note this parenthetical. Her suspicion implies
he doesnt ask this very often. She detects an ulterior motive.
Just okay? No, dad. It was spectacular. After weakly attempting to ask about her
day, Lester launches into complaining. "Well, you want to know how things went at my job today?" Now the stakes are raised and the conflict
builds.
You couldnt possibly care less, could
you? Well, what do you expect? You cant all
of a sudden be my best friend, just because you had a bad day. I mean, hello. Youve barely even spoken
to me for months. She is direct, firm, and and throws the truth of their situation back at him.
And in doing so reveals the exposition that
is also intended for the audience. Alan Ball consistently writes dialogue that
feels natural within the world of the film. It has layers of subtext when appropriate, and
reveals the psychology of the characters. I'm so proud of you! You know, I watched you very closely you didnt screw up once! The last thing I want to very briefly touch on
is the role of intentionality in filmmaking.
Director Sam Mendes said, The movie you
see is not the movie I thought I was shooting I thought I was making a much more whimsical,
comic story, kaleidoscopic, almost like a Coen brothers movie And what I found in the cutting room was a
much more emotional, haunting animal than I had imagined. What does it mean if a creator thinks theyre
making one movie, but ends up making another movie? A better movie? I would love to examine all of this more,
but, there just isnt enough time. I wanted to talk about some of the screenplays
flaws. I wanted to reveal what is in the twenty-seven
pages of script that Sam Mendes cut out of the final movie, and how they change the whole
nature of the film.
But, all of that just couldnt fit into
one video. So I decided to make two! And Ill be back next week with part two of American Beauty. Hey guys, Michael here, thank you very, very much for watching this video on American Beauty. I'm really, really enjoying making these videos.
I love it and I would love to keep doing it. But to do so, I need your help. So if you're enjoying these videos, please considering supporting this channel on Patreon. The link is right below me.
And please like, and share, and subscribe! And I will be back next week with part two of American Beauty..
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