Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysBest Of 2023Holiday PicksSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

American Beauty

  • 1999
  • 18
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
1.2M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
248
10
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
    248
    10
    • Director
      • Sam Mendes
    • Writer
      • Alan Ball
    • Stars
      • Kevin Spacey
      • Annette Bening
      • Thora Birch
    • 3KUser reviews
    • 223Critic reviews
    • 84Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #71
    • 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

    Photos289

    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

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Sir 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
    Close To Perfection
    The intention is so clear that everything else falls into place, perfectly. Kevin Spacey's suburban husband and father reminded me of his character in "The Ref" and that could only be a good thing. Annette Bening and her giggle works wonders here. Their marriage is a tabloid version of a "Who's Afraid To Virginia Woolf" Which means very close to someone we know. The biggest surprises in the film. besides the amazing dexterity of Sam Mendes at his first outing behind the camera, are West Bentley. Chris Cooper, Thora Brch and Allison Janney. As I'm writing this 8 years after its first release, the Oscars and the whole hullabaloo, I'm very surprised that West Bentley hasn't become a major star. He is amazing in "American Beauty" the complexities of his character are based on recognizable human stands, the hardest to face up to and I went where he went. Thora Birch is lovely as the object of his attention and the film, I believe, is here to say.
    helpful•181
    59
    • uhmartinez-phd
    • Nov 12, 2007

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ3

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

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 4, 2000 (United Kingdom)
    • 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

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, and Wes Bentley in American Beauty (1999)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of American Beauty (1999) in Canada?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Production art
    Photos
    See These Stars in Their Early Roles
    See the gallery
    Production art
    List
    New and Upcoming Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-Offs
    Add these to your Watchlist
    Still frame
    List
    Top 10 Most Popular Indian Streaming Movies
    See the list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.