American Beauty (1999)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writer (WGA):

Alan Ball (written by)

Release Date:

1 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

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.

Plot Keywords:

Fast Food Restaurant | Friendship | Love | Hate | Depression

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 83 wins & 74 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

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

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

According to his Oscar speech, Alan Ball was sitting at the World Trade Center plaza when he saw a paper bag floating in the wind and was inspired by it to write the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Buddy King is having lunch with Carolyn, his hair is mostly gray. But in the subsequent spread-eagle sex scene, there's no gray.

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?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Family Guy: Peter Griffin: Husband, Father... Brother? (#3.14)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Where Love Has Gone

The Beautiful Truth

This is a profound movie that examines ordinary people. For all their flaws people are basically beautiful and that is one of the many threads of the fabric of this film. I liked that it was revealed at the start of the film that Lester would soon meet his demise. And I also liked at the ending, the identity of the person who took his life didn't really matter, just the sadness of the loss of his life. 'Look Closer' was the theme of this movie and Lester even had this motto in his cubical. Kevin assumed the persona of Lester with a range of acting that is quite worthy of awards. Bening inhabited Carolyn in much the same way. Which one of us hasn't experienced the disillusionment of our teenage years, only to later re-experienced it again through our children. And like Carolyn, who among us has not been intensely disappointed with ourself at some point? That one scene was amazing, it looked so real that it transcended acting. And can a movie actually move beyond entertainment by causing more than absorbing discussion, but real change in it's audience? Perhaps. But if this is true, then that movie would be American Beauty. And for those who feel this movie doesn't achieve this lofty accolade. To them I say, "Never underestimate the power of denial." A ten, of course.