Realtors not rosy in `American Beauty'

Annette Bening was not nominated for an Oscar for playing an everyday Realtor in 1999's "American Beauty." Her character was one of the phoniest and most dysfunctional real estate agents imaginable.

Tracey Donley, broker/salesperson at Re/Max Absolute Realtors in Las Vegas, put out a disclaimer regarding Bening's performance: Don't see the film to witness a Realtor's life or something like it.

Armed with Bening's best plastic smile, her name is Carolyn Burnham. Is she a successful Realtor? We aren't really told. But as a wife and mother, Carolyn is just as discontent as those around her, including her husband, Lester (Kevin Spacey), and her teen-age daughter, Jane (Thora Birch).

Although Carolyn's troubles do not emanate from her profession, being a Realtor can still have its drawbacks in one's family life, according to Donley.

"There are a lot of real estate agents who end up getting divorced because of the pressures of the job and because of the demands of the job. It's not a nine-to-five job," she said. "But maybe Carolyn doesn't like her profession. If she loved what she did, she would have a different outlook."

Indeed, Carolyn seems to live under a pretense of happiness, spewing lines one would expect from a stereotypical real estate agent. Early in the film as she and Lester walk into a party, Carolyn says to him, "Part of my job is selling an image and part of my job is to live that image ... do me a favor and act happy tonight."

"I think they were basically using her character to help the film comically," Donley said. "They were taking certain traits and caricaturing them, using the poor perceptions of Realtors. They made her traits larger-than-life."

Carolyn is not the only Realtor in the film. We also see real estate guru Buddy Kane (known as "The King" on all his advertisements). With his silver-haired, thick-eyebrowed good looks and slick mannerisms (brought to life by actor Peter Gallagher), "The King" utterly enamors Carolyn. At one point, he tells her, "Call me crazy, but it is my philosophy that in order to be successful, one must project an image of success."

While Carolyn, in all her superficiality, was dazzled by this, Donley saw right through "The King" and all his smooth talk.

"I thought that `The King's' character was also exaggerated, but not as much as Carolyn's character, and that he was portrayed as a particularly cool and shallow individual," Donley said. "Real estate and being No. 1 seemed to be his top priorities."

Carolyn and Buddy eventually have an affair, which led to a couple of the film's comic scenes. But Carolyn herself stole the film's funniest moments -- all of which came while we learned about the home-selling process.

Another early scene has Carolyn conducting an open house. Before the shoppers come, she repeats a mantra: "I will sell this house today, I will sell this house today." It was a humorous touch to a Realtor's open-house preparation, as were Carolyn's various sales lines.

She tells one couple, "This living room is very dramatic," followed by, "Wait 'til you see the native stone fireplace." Once there, Carolyn stands in front of it and says matter-of-factly, "A simple cream could lighten things up -- you could even put in a skylight." She then tells another couple the kitchen is a "dream come true for any cook."

In the context of the film, Carolyn sounds like a walking sales brochure, but Donley noted that Carolyn's scripted lines can indeed sell a home in real life.

"It was funny in the setting, but these are things that real estate agents would or could say to prospective buyers," Donley said.

After Carolyn fails to sell the home, we see her break into sobs, slapping herself repeatedly to accompany her own verbal invective. "Shut up! Stop it! You weak -- you baby! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!," she screeches with each slap.

Most Realtors wouldn't take it so hard, according to Donley, which is why the moment becomes yet another of the film's comic highlights.

"The whole film does not emphasize the traits that really make a good agent. When you're brand new in the business -- and if you're not that good -- a lot of times you're getting rejected," Donley said. "It's all about being able to manage rejection. It's all about getting stronger as a person and not taking it personally. It's a business."

For all of Carolyn's on-screen dealings, real estate was not the main focus of "American Beauty" any more than selling was the main thrust of "Death of a Salesman," a drama to which "American Beauty" has been compared. Carolyn and the other characters in the film are watching life pass them by and that, clearly, is the movie's message.

But as it turned out, real estate did serve the film's purpose.

"In the long run, truly successful Realtors are those who gain a reputation for putting their clients' interests ahead of money and any other selfish considerations," Donley said. "In this regard, I do believe that the film attempted to portray its Realtor characters as shallow and plastic people, so consumed by a desire to succeed that they are shown to have no life or ethics."

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