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Lester Burnham
- American Beauty tells the story of Lester Burnham, an ordinary American man who finds a way to free himself from his mundane, loveless existence.
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Sep 24, 1999 · American Beauty. Roger Ebert September 24, 1999. Tweet. 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.
American Beauty follows a traditional narrative structure, only deviating with the displaced opening scene of Jane and Ricky from the middle of the story. Although the plot spans one year, the film is narrated by Lester at the moment of his death.
- $356.3 million
- Jinks/Cohen Company
- $15 million
- Thomas Newman
- 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
Jun 30, 2022 · Set in affluent suburbia, "Beauty" told the story of a middle-aged man named Lester in the midst of a severe midlife crisis. His wife (Annette Bening) is cold and distant, more interested in ...
- Witney Seibold
American Beauty tells the story of Lester Burnham, an ordinary American man who finds a way to free himself from his mundane, loveless existence. For one year, Lester lives the opposite of the traditional American Dream: he quits his job, blackmails his boss, gets a job working at a fast-food restaurant, and spends his time smoking pot with the ...
- Sam Mendes
American Beauty Summary. The film opens with a grainy shot of Jane Burnham lying on a bed, complaining about her father. Off screen, a boy (presumably the camera operator) asks her whether she wants him to kill her father, and she sits up, looks directly into the camera, and says "yes".
American Beauty tells the story of Lester Burnham, a mid-level ad man going through a mid-life melt down. Lester lives in the suburbs in a two story house surrounded by a white picket fence. But despite the exterior sheen, all is not well in the Burnham household.
