With other turn @-@ of @-@ the @-@ millennium films such as Fight Club , In the Company of Men ( 1997 ) , American Psycho ( 2000 ) , and Boys Don 't Cry ( 1999 ) , American Beauty " raises the broader , widely explored issue of masculinity in crisis " . Professor Vincent Hausmann charges that in their reinforcement of masculinity " against threats posed by war , by consumerism , and by feminist and queer challenges " , these films present a need to " focus on , and even to privilege " aspects of maleness " deemed ' deviant ' " . Lester 's transformation conveys " that he , and not the woman , has borne the brunt of [ lack of being ] " and he will not stand for being emasculated . Lester 's attempts to " strengthen traditional masculinity " conflict with his responsibilities as a father . Although the film portrays the way Lester returns to that role positively , he does not become " the hypermasculine figure implicitly celebrated in films like Fight Club " . Hausmann concludes that Lester 's behavior toward Angela is " a misguided but nearly necessary step toward his becoming a father again " .