American Beauty (1999)

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:

Friendship | Fast Food Restaurant | Lust | Hate | Rose

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

Also Known As:

Belleza americana (Argentina) (Mexico) (Peru) (Uruguay) (Venezuela) [es]
American Beauty (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Красота по-американски (Russia) [ru]
American Beauty (Greece) [el]
American Beauty (Denmark) [da]
American Beauty (Portugal) [pt]
American Beauty (Italy) [it]
American Beauty (Finland) [fi]
American Beauty (Spain) [es]
American Beauty (Poland) [pl]
American Beauty (France) [fr]
American Beauty (Norway) [no]
Americká krása (Slovakia) [sk]
Americká krása (Czech Republic) [cs]
Americka lepota (Serbia) [sr]
Amerikai szépség (Hungary) [hu]
Amerikan güzeli (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Beauté américaine (Canada: French title) [fr]
Beleza Americana (Brazil) [pt]

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:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brittany Murphy and Katie Holmes were all offered the role of Angela, but turned it down.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Ricky Fitts walks from the Fitts house to Colonel Fitts, who is washing his car, into a giant, rectangular shadow. That shadow is not possible through real-world causes, because the Fitts' house is simultaneously casting a shadow forward, towards the street.

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 Camp Cuddly Pines Powertool Massacre (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Don't Let It Bring You Down

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.