The first 15 minutes of this film are an exercise in masculine futility. Lester Burnham's (Kevin Spacey) wife and daughter thinks he is a huge loser. And they are right. We can't help but feel sorry for Lester as he is chastised by his wife and scolded by his daughter at home. At work, his job is on the line and he is told by the hot new, young manager that he must write out a job description mapping out, in detail, how he contributes so that management can determine who is valuable and who is expendable. Fortunately, a friend of his daughter unknowingly wakes Lester from his deep sedation and he moves to redeem himself over the course of the film. But it's painful to watch this man cower at his own shadow through the first act - emasculating stuff, in every sense.