What do you think the movie american beauty asks you to think about in life?

i thought it was about appreciating the simple beauty of life (with the plastic bag and all of that and ricky and his obsession with beautiful things) but in english no one seems to agree with me. what do you think?What do you think the movie american beauty asks you to think about in life?
A few years ago I heard a couple of guys interviewed on the radio who were the writers for The Simpsons. They said that in all their episodes they tried to have messages, but opposing messages that cancel each other out. So at the end you're right where you began.





I thought American Beauty was like that. The Kevin Spacey character is fed up at the start of the movie and decides to take command of his life. At first it looks like this was a good thing to do, but in the end it turns out to be wrong. His daughter's friend, who Spacey is hot for, turns out to be a phony, but in a nice way, and he ends up not wanting her. The daughter begins being alienated and rebellious, but ends up finding love (or at least an emotional bond). The military guy next door is one of those characters we see a lot in films and books who is so angry and isolated from the world that he never really understands whats going on. His son might be the smartest character in the film, but he's not happy like you would think he'd be.





The thing with the plastic bag really is great. It's totally abstract. It's amazing that a boy like that would see such beauty in something so random and ordinary.





Anyway, at the end of the movie you realize there isn't really any message. It was just a few days in the life of some strange people. 8^)What do you think the movie american beauty asks you to think about in life?
I personally believe it has something to do with not taking life and material possessions so seriously. Carolyn Burnham in the film felt very stressed with her job and trying to make her life appear perfect. After Lester Burnham quit his job, he seemed much happier although he was making much less money and working in a fast-food restaurant.
I always thought it was something like:


There is no reason to be miserable. If you don't like your life, change it. There is beauty all around; stop and smell the roses while you can.





Which sounds kind of trite, but there you go.
I think it compares fantasy with reality.We all strive for that place where the ';grass is greener';, but in Lester's case, his death was an escape from what was a futile existance