On Monday, December 7, the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s Science on Screen series tackles the subject of the human search for happiness with a presentation of the 1999 critically acclaimed box office hit American Beauty and a pre-screening talk by Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University and bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness. The program begins at 7:00 pm.

On Monday, December 7, the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s Science on Screen series tackles the subject of the human search for happiness with a presentation of the 1999 critically acclaimed box office hit American Beauty and a pre-screening talk by Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University and bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness. The program begins at 7:00 pm.

Winner of five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography), American Beauty weaves social satire and domestic tragedy into a single sublime package, moving seamlessly from dark, biting comedy to deeply moving drama.

Kevin Spacey (wringing every ounce of nasty hilarity out of his lines) stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged, middle-class suburbanite trapped in a loveless marriage and dead-end job. Lester’s ambitious realtor wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) and his sullen, contemptuous daughter Jane (Thora Birch) think he is a chronic loser. After Lester becomes infatuated with Jane’s friend Angela (Mena Suvari), a nubile, blonde cheerleader, he awakens to life’s possibilities. No longer willing to play the role of complacent husband and dutiful employee, he rebels with a vengeance, quitting his job, buying a red 1970 Firebird with his severance (“The car I always wanted and now I have it. I rule!), and smoking pot with the teenager next door, a classmate of his daughter’s who uses his video camera to capture the hidden beauty behind the surface of things. The freer Lester becomes, the happier he seems to be, but his adolescent rebirth only enrages his wife and embarrasses his daughter. It’s not until the film’s explosive end that Lester finally discovers what really matters in life.

American Beauty is about alienation and disaffection, about yearning after youth, respect, power, beauty -- and happiness. But do any of us even know what will make us happy – or, for that matter, unhappy? Guest speaker Daniel Gilbert would bet we think we know, but we are most likely wrong. A pioneer in the field of affective forecasting, Dr. Gilbert has shown, though a series of studies ranging from field to laboratory, that we really aren’t very good at predicting out emotional reactions – positive or negative -- to future events. Join us as Dr. Gilbert explains how and why the imitations of our imaginations may be getting in the way of our search for happiness.

Although it can’t be dissected, viewed under a microscope, or X-rayed, Gilbert believes that happiness merits scientific exploration. “We can take big ideas like happiness, the important stuff that has engaged human beings for at least the last two thousand years and look at them objectively,” he has said. “You can’t take a picture of happiness. But that doesn’t mean you can’t approach it scientifically by creating operational definitions, by creating experiments with control groups, by measuring lots of people who have randomly selected. That’s what my life has been an attempt to do.”

Daniel Gilbert is professor of psychology at Harvard University. His 2006 book, Stumbling on Happiness weaves together facts and theories from psychology, cognitive science, philosophy and behavioral economics to argue that, just as we err in remembering the past, so we err in imagining the future. Stumbling on Happiness was a New York Times bestseller and was awarded the Royal Society’s General Prize for best science book of the year. A recipient of numerous awards for his research and teaching, Dr. Gilbert’s work has been featured in numerous publications. He is a contributor to Time, The New York Times, and NPR's All Things Considered, and has been a guest on numerous television and radio shows including The Today Show, Charlie Rose, 20/20, and The Colbert Report. He is the host of the NOVA television series "This Emotional Life, which will air on PBS in 2010.

About Science on Screen

With Science on Screen, the Coolidge presents a feature film or documentary with a basis in science, paired with exciting introductions by notable scientific figures. This monthly series is co-presented by The Museum of Science, Boston and New Scientist magazine.

Science on Screen programs are $9.75 regular admission; $7.75 for seniors, students, and Museum of Science members; and free for Coolidge Corner Theatre members. Tickets are available on-line at www.coolidge.org or at the Coolidge Corner Theatre box office, located at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline.

For more details, visit www.coolidge.org/science or call 617-734-2500.