 Based on the reviewer's description of Carolyn, a viewer might assume that she values all of the following EXCEPT:
Apparently, Lester doesn't realize that snipped roses are garden-variety symbols of castration, or he'd know what he has lost. The movie is convinced, too--which is odd, since the fantasy of an underage cheerleader making a middle-aged man's wilted roses bloom is a tad ... primitive. It feels lustrously hip and aware, and a lot of critics are making big claims for it. A merican Beauty is so wittily written and gorgeously directed that you might think you're seeing something archetypal--maybe even the Great American Movie.
 social awareness
 social awareness  career success  whiteness  heterosexuality