IMDb > American Beauty (1999)
American Beauty
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American Beauty (1999) More at IMDbPro »

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American Beauty (1999) -- Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter's attractive friend.
American Beauty (1999) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sam Mendes
Writer (WGA):
Alan Ball (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for American Beauty on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 October 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
... look closer
Plot:
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter's attractive friend. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 83 wins & 74 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(424 articles)
Kevin Spacey Wants 'Superman Returns' Sequel
 (From CinemaSpy. 23 November 2009, 9:10 PM, PST)
10 closest Oscar races in the past 20 years
 (From Gold Derby. 23 November 2009, 1:12 PM, PST)
User Comments:
An American Masterpiece more (2497 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kevin Spacey ... Lester Burnham

Annette Bening ... Carolyn Burnham

Thora Birch ... Jane Burnham

Wes Bentley ... Ricky Fitts

Mena Suvari ... Angela Hayes

Chris Cooper ... Col. Frank Fitts, USMC

Peter Gallagher ... Buddy Kane

Allison Janney ... Barbara Fitts

Scott Bakula ... Jim Olmeyer

Sam Robards ... Jim Berkley
Barry Del Sherman ... Brad Dupree

Ara Celi ... Sale House Woman #1

John Cho ... Sale House Man #1
Fort Atkinson ... Sale House Man #2
Sue Casey ... Sale House Woman #2
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
122 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Colombia:18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Mexico:C | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | France:-12 | Denmark:15 | Brazil:18 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 (bw) (original rating) | Germany:16 (bw) (re-rating) | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | India:A | Ireland:18 | Israel:PG | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Poland:15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #36807) | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)
Filming Locations:
11388 Homedale Street, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
DreamWorks SKG more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The title of the film refers to a breed of roses that while pretty and appealing in appearance, is often prone to rot underneath at the roots and branches of the plant. Thus, the tagline "...look closer" tells the viewer that when they look beyond the "perfect suburban life" they will find something rancid at the root. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: In the opening sequence of the film we see an overhead shot of the Burnhams' master bedroom, Lester is lying in bed on his stomach, rousing when his alarm clock goes off. Circular white matte board cutouts cap the top of the lamp shades on either side of the bed blocking the bare light bulbs from shining straight into the camera lens (and probably hiding color correcting gels on the bulbs that would only be found in lamps on nightstands in bedrooms on stage). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Jane Burnham: I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek-boy who's gonna spray his shorts whenever I bring a girlfriend home from school. What a lame-o. Someone really should just put him out of his misery.
Ricky Fitts: Want me to kill him for you?
Jane Burnham: Yeah. Would you?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Bodilfesten 2001 (2001) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Something Grand more

FAQ

How old was Jane supposed to be?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is this movie based on a novel?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
37 out of 44 people found the following comment useful.
An American Masterpiece, 14 August 2001
10/10
Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois

This is by far one of the best, if not THE, movies of the 90's. "American Beauty" stole my vote immediately as I started watching it. The idea and concept of "American Beauty" is just some ordinary people on an ordinary block with ordinary lives.

Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnam, a middle aged married man who has lost some hope in life. He has a job that is degrading, a wife who refuses to show any type of loving emotion towards him, a daughter who practically hates herself, and is judged constantly as a looser. But all of a sudden, he sees his daughter's friend, Angela, and something snaps in him to do something with his life. He quits his job and takes, the dreaded by most Americans, a fast food cook job. He starts working out and doing some illegal substances. Even though this sounds like he is ruining his life, it actually helps him and makes him realize how much he loves "the precious moments in his stupid little life." You have no idea what he is talking about I'm sure, but don't worry, you will some day. Kevin Spacey was by far the best actor in 1999 and deserved this Oscar 100%.

Annete Benning plays Carol Burnam, Lester's wife. She is a very fake and unsuccessful real estate agent who cannot get a sale. Her image in life is "in order to be successful, one most project an image of success at all times". You can tell, she is not happy with her marriage and starts to have an affair with the big boss of the real estate company. Again, seems horrible, but it helps her in the end. Annete was unfortunately robbed of an Oscar for this film.

The supporting cast: Thora Birtch who plays Janie, Lester and Carol's daughter, is extremely depressed and hates her body and herself. But when she notices a strange boy next door and develops a relationship with him, she realizes how precious life is and starts communicating with her family. Mena Suvari plays Angela, Janie's best friend, Lester's crush, and a girl who is clearly insecure despite her attempts at showing her sexy side to every guy in town. Wes Bentley plays Ricky, the next door neighbor boy who looks at something as simple as a bag being tossed in the wind as something beautiful. Some say that this was a very stupid scene, but I disagree. His dialog was perfect and made us look twice at something so simple. He won most of our hearts despite having somewhat of an arrogant attitude. Wes without a doubt got robbed of a nomination for this movie. Chris Cooper plays Ricky's father, Col. Frank Fits. He is a military Sergent who is very abusive to his wife and son and is an obvious homophobic that turns into an ironic situation in the end. Chris also should've been nominated.

The most stunning character actually to me was Allison Janney who played Barbara Fits, Ricky's mom, and Frank's wife. She was so beautiful and perfect. Her scene in the front room with Frank and Ricky, everything is so quite, and she says "I'm sorry, what?". Ricky says "Mom, no one said anything". When Ricky gets kicked out by Frank after a horrible accusation, Ricky says "Mom, I'm leaving". Instead of being like the average mom and trying to stop him or say things will get better, she knows this is best and says "OK. Wear a raincoat". Allison was just amazing and didn't get enough credit for her role.

If there could have been nominations for every role in this movie, they were well deserved. This is a terrific movie that should be watched by every adult. It'll make you look again at your life and think. What a great movie.

10/10

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