America the Beautiful

As fashion execs, tabloid journalists, advertisers, and plastic surgeons discuss how and why they contribute to this unattainable standard of beauty, America the Beautiful proves to be both witty and troubling. Men make candid (and sometimes crude) observations about how important a woman's physical attributes -- like weight, height, and skin color -- are when they think about their ideal mate, but then can't explain why they feel the way they do. There are some heartbreaking moments, too, as the film documents the real devastation that can occur when people buy into the idea of looking "perfect" -- including becoming the victim of botched cosmetic surgery or dying from bulimia.

This documentary, which took five years to complete, doesn't take an unbiased approach to its subject. And most of Roberts' findings aren't particularly surprising, either. But the film is both socially probing and entertaining as it shows how far women have come in American society -- only to still be objectified by idealized standards of beauty that often hold them back. The movie also demonstrates how both men and women are becoming less able to appreciate the ordinary and how incapable they are becoming of finding the true beauty that lies inside them.