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American Beauty

  • 1999
  • 12
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
1.2M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
277
6
Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Wes Bentley in 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.
Play trailer3:01
4 Videos
99+ Photos
Drama

A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

  • Director
    • Sam Mendes
  • Writer
    • Alan Ball
  • Stars
    • Kevin Spacey
    • Annette Bening
    • Thora Birch
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.3/10
    1.2M
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    277
    6
    • Director
      • Sam Mendes
    • Writer
      • Alan Ball
    • Stars
      • Kevin Spacey
      • Annette Bening
      • Thora Birch
    • 3KUser reviews
    • 204Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #73
    • Won 5 Oscars
      • 112 wins & 102 nominations total

    Videos4

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 3:01
    Watch Theatrical Version
    A Guide to the Films of Sam Mendes
    Clip 1:59
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Sam Mendes
    Roles That Jake Gyllenhaal Turned Down
    Video 2:55
    Watch Roles That Jake Gyllenhaal Turned Down
    How TIFF Gets the Oscars Right
    Video 2:26
    Watch How TIFF Gets the Oscars Right

    Photos293

    Kevin Spacey and Mena Suvari in American Beauty (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
    Kevin Spacey in American Beauty (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Thora Birch in American Beauty (1999)
    Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
    Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Wes Bentley in American Beauty (1999)
    Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes in American Beauty (1999)
    Thora Birch in American Beauty (1999)
    Lester and Carolyn in the car
    Carolyn scrubbing frantically
    Carolyn vacuuming
    In a bed of roses

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kevin Spacey
    Kevin Spacey
    • Lester Burnham
    Annette Bening
    Annette Bening
    • Carolyn Burnham
    Thora Birch
    Thora Birch
    • Jane Burnham
    Wes Bentley
    Wes Bentley
    • Ricky Fitts
    Mena Suvari
    Mena Suvari
    • Angela Hayes
    Peter Gallagher
    Peter Gallagher
    • Buddy Kane
    Allison Janney
    Allison Janney
    • Barbara Fitts
    Chris Cooper
    Chris Cooper
    • Colonel Fitts
    Scott Bakula
    Scott Bakula
    • Jim Olmeyer
    Sam Robards
    Sam Robards
    • Jim Berkley
    Barry Del Sherman
    Barry Del Sherman
    • Brad
    Ara Celi
    Ara Celi
    • Sale House Woman #1
    John Cho
    John Cho
    • Sale House Man #1
    Fort Atkinson
    • Sale House Man #2
    Sue Casey
    • Sale House Woman #2
    Kent Faulcon
    Kent Faulcon
    • Sale House Man #3
    Brenda Wehle
    Brenda Wehle
    • Sale House Women #4
    Lisa Cloud
    Lisa Cloud
    • Sale House Women #4
    • Director
      • Sam Mendes
    • Writer
      • Alan Ball
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Best Picture Winners by Year

    Best Picture Winners by Year

    See the complete list of Best Picture winners. For fun, use the "sort order" function to rank by IMDb rating and other criteria.
    See the complete list
    Poster
    List

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Sam Mendes designed the two girls' look to change over the course of the film, with Thora Birch gradually using less makeup and Mena Suvari gradually using more, to emphasize his view of their shifting perceptions of themselves.
    • Goofs
      When Jane and Angela are outside talking to Ricky at school, Angela's cigarette keeps growing and shrinking throughout the conversation.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Lester Burnham: [narrating] I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined our street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.

    • Alternate versions
      Some TV versions deleted most language and explicit content to maintain a clean TV-14 rating.
    • Connections
      Edited into Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Because
      Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

      Performed by Elliott Smith

      Elliott Smith appears courtesy of DreamWorks Records

    User reviews3K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    One of my faves of the year...simply great.
    This movie was a joy to watch. I didn't know what to expect when I came into it. I had heard the buzz of the acting and the story, etc...but we've all heard that before and had been disappointed, but not so with this one.

    Kevin Spacey plays this part to a "T". He is strong when it requires and meek when it is needed. His emotional rollercoaster ride is a trip to partake in. Annette Bening is marvelous as well. I think they both should be nominated.

    The support cast is also spectacular. Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, and Mena Suvari all give great performances as the troubled "Teenagers" in the film. Of particular mention is Wes Bentley's performance, worthy of a supporting nomination as well.

    This is a dramatic and funny tale of a man and his life in a state of turmoil and transition. When he happens to see a beautiful friend of his daughter's at a cheerleading exhibition, he is completely infatuated with her beauty. Using this as his inspiration, he attempts to change all aspects of his life. He confronts his marriage, his job, his ego, and his libido.

    The music in this film is also very well chosen. There are moments when the music fits so perfectly with the scene that they meld together as one to present a perfect emotion.

    The plot can get rather involved, but you will follow it endlessly to see where you go. I was simply involved, hook, line and sinker.

    See this movie more than once, and skip some of the other movies out now that are dare I say, trash.

    This should be on the top of many critic's lists this year and it is certainly on top of mine.

    My Rating (1 - 10): 10
    helpful•256
    77
    • The Woof
    • Nov 5, 1999

    Top picks

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    FAQ3

    • What is American Beauty About?
    • Who is Col. Frank Fitts?
    • Why did Jane show her breasts to Ricky?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 20, 2000 (Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Vẻ Đẹp Mỹ
    • Filming locations
      • Sacramento, California, USA(aerial shots)
    • Production companies
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Jinks/Cohen Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $130,096,601
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $861,531
      • Sep 19, 1999
    • Gross worldwide
      • $356,296,601
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 2 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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