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Sep 13, 2019 · Critical consensus now has Michael Mann’s controlled, sinewy, morally shaded media study The Insider (seven nominations, zero wins) as the film most wronged by American Beauty’s Oscar haul.
- Guy Lodge
At the 1999 Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography (for Conrad Hall). The film was nominated for and won numerous other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing, and acting.
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
- Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)
American Beauty, American dramatic film, released in 1999, that was a critical and box office success and earned five Academy Awards, including best picture. Writer Alan Ball and director Sam Mendes created a dark satire of suburban culture that delivers sharp jabs at a typical middle-class American family, kills off its flawed yet likable main character, and still delivers a message of forgiveness and redemption.
The film depicts the last few months of the life of Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey), who narrates the movie. Lester lives in a nameless suburb in an apparently loveless marriage with Carolyn (Annette Bening), a materialistic real estate broker who is unsatisfied with her level of success, and their unhappy teenage daughter, Jane (Thora Birch). Lester also hates his job. Lester and Carolyn go to a basketball game at Jane’s high school to see Jane perform with the other cheerleaders, and Lester becomes thoroughly infatuated with another cheerleader, Jane’s friend Angela (Mena Suvari), to Jane’s horror. Angela, however, is flattered by the attention. At home, Jane catches the teenage boy next door, Ricky (Wes Bentley), filming her with his camcorder. The following morning, Ricky’s abusive father, Colonel Fitts of the U.S. Marine Corps (Chris Cooper), expresses his annoyance at the shamelessness of a gay couple in the neighbourhood as he is driving Ricky to school. Later, Lester and Carolyn attend a real estate business function, where Carolyn introduces Lester to top salesman Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher). Lester notices Ricky working as a server at the party, and Ricky and Lester go outside to smoke marijuana; Ricky offers to supply Lester with the drug.
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Lester, after overhearing Angela say that she would find him attractive if he worked out, goes to the garage, takes off his clothes and looks at himself in the mirror, and begins lifting weights; Ricky catches this scene on his camcorder. Later Lester goes to buy marijuana from Ricky, and Carolyn subsequently sees him smoking and working out. Lester loses his job, but he negotiates a generous severance package. Carolyn begins an affair with Buddy, and Lester gets a job at a fast-food restaurant. In the meantime, Jane and Ricky become romantically involved, but Colonel Fitts is beginning to suspect that Ricky might be gay. At his new job, Lester catches Carolyn and Buddy kissing while in the drive-through lane. Lester asks Ricky for more marijuana, but, when Colonel Fitts sees Ricky rolling a joint for Lester, he thinks he is seeing a sexual act taking place. Colonel Fitts confronts Ricky, who says that he sells sexual favours for money; his father throws him out of the house. Ricky goes to Jane’s house, where he insults Angela, who has been fighting with Jane. Colonel Fitts, in obvious distress, walks to Lester’s garage, where Lester is working out. Lester invites him in, and Colonel Fitts attempts to kiss Lester; Lester gently rebuffs him. Lester goes into the house, where he finds Angela alone. He begins to seduce her, but, when she tells him that she is a virgin, he backs off. Lester takes Angela to the kitchen and fixes her something to eat. He asks her how Jane is, and Angela tells him that Jane thinks that she is in love. Angela asks Lester how he is, and he realizes that he feels genuinely happy. Angela leaves the room, and someone shoots Lester, killing him. In a closing montage, Colonel Fitts is revealed as the killer, and Lester describes his epiphany about the beauty of ordinary life.
Alan Ball had written only for television before creating the script for American Beauty, for which he won an Oscar. In development, the script became a pet project of DreamWorks Pictures chief Steven Spielberg. American Beauty was the first movie helmed by British theatre director Sam Mendes; he too won an Oscar. In addition to the Oscar, American Beauty won the BAFTA award and the Golden Globe Award for best film.
•Studio: DreamWorks Pictures
•Director: Sam Mendes
•Writer: Alan Ball
•Music: Thomas Newman
•Kevin Spacey (Lester Burnham)
•Annette Bening (Carolyn Burnham)
•Thora Birch (Jane)
•Mena Suvari (Angela)
•Wes Bentley (Ricky)
•Chris Cooper (Colonel Fitts)
•Picture*
•Lead actor* (Kevin Spacey)
•Lead actress (Annette Bening)
•Cinematography*
•Direction*
•Editing
- Pat Bauer
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Mar 28, 2000 · American Beauty wins 5 Oscars including Picture. As expected American Beauty won the major Oscars at the 72nd annual Academy Awards ceremony, winning in five categories - Best...
Oct 1, 1999 · Another person worthy of a mention is the late director of photography Conrad L. Hall, another one of the five oscar recipients for this film. All the elements in this film gel perfectly together to make one superb masterpiece. Not one person, either cast or crew, steals this film or does anymore than anyone else to make this film what it is.
- (1.2M)
- Drama
- Sam Mendes
- 1999-10-01
Plot Lester Burnham, a middle-aged media executive in suburbia, hates his job and is unhappily married to neurotic, ambitious real estate agent Carolyn. Their 16-year-old daughter, Jane, hates her parents and has low self-esteem. Retired Marine colonel Frank Fitts, his near- catatonic wife Barbara, and their teenage son Ricky move in next door. Ricky documents the world around him with a ...
Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch. "American Beauty" is a comedy because we laugh at the absurdity of the hero's problems. And a tragedy because we can identify with his failure--not the specific details, but the general outline.
