American Beauty
AMERICAN BEAUTY
Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures
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
Kent Faulcon … Sale House Man -3
Brenda Wehle … Sale House Woman -4
Lisa Cloud … Sale House Woman -5
Alison Faulk … Spartanette -1
Krista Goodsitt … Spartanette -2
Lily Houtkin … Spartanette -3
Carolina Lancaster … Spartanette -4
Romana Leah … Spartanette -5
Chekesha Van Putten … Spartanette -6 (as Chekesa Van Putten)
Emily Zachary … Spartanette -7
Nancy Anderson … Spartanette -8
Reshma Gajjar … Spartanette -9
Stephanie Rizzo … Spartanette -10
Heather Joy Sher … Playground Girl -1
Chelsea Hertford … Playground Girl -2
Amber Smith … Christy Kane
Joel McCrary … Catering Boss
Marissa Jaret Winokur … Mr. Smiley’s Counter Girl
Dennis Anderson … Mr. Smiley’s Manager
Matthew Kimbrough … Firing Range Attendant
Erin Cathryn Strubbe … Young Jane Burnham
Bruce Cohen … Bartender (uncredited)
Elaine Corral Kendall … Newscaster (uncredited)
SYNOPSIS:
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a 42-year-old man living in the suburbs, and working at a boring job in advertising. His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) is an ambitious realtor; his rebellious and confused daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is an average teenager but is unhappy with her physical appearance and resents her father because of the little attention he gives her, although he wishes of a better relationship.
Dissatisfied with his nondescript life and sexually frustrated by his wife, Lester finds motivation for transforming himself after meeting Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), Jane’s best friend and classmate. Angela, a beautiful, confident, and supposedly promiscuous cheerleader who aspires to be a model, captivates Lester the moment he sees her perform a school dance routine, and he develops an obvious crush on her, much to Jane’s embarrassment. Angela, however, finds Lester “sweet” and later comments to Jane that if he were more muscular, she would have sex with him, which Lester overhears. He starts an intensive workout regimen.
Meanwhile, Colonel Frank Fitts, USMC (Chris Cooper), his emotionally-detached wife Barbara (Allison Janney), and their introspective, drug-dealing son Ricky (Wes Bentley) move next door to the Burnhams. Jane begins to notice Ricky videotaping her through her bedroom window, which secretly flatters her.
Carolyn begins an extramarital affair with rival realtor Buddy King (Peter Gallagher), whom she has admired for some time, and at his recommendation decides to begin relieving her stress at a shooting range.
Meanwhile, confronted with a newly-installed (and much younger) department boss looking for a reason to get rid of him, rather than desperately trying to save job, Lester quits instead, revealing his disgust and contempt and successfully blackmailing his boss for an enormous severance package.
Remembering how much he enjoyed his summer job as a teenager, he begins work anew at a fast food restaurant. Jane and Ricky bond over camcorder footage of a plastic bag “dancing” in the wind, which Ricky considers the most beautiful thing he has ever recorded. Ricky also bonds with Lester over recollections of the B-movies Re-Animator and Beastmaster. Lester also begins to purchase $2000 per 1/8th oz G-13 marijuana from Ricky
Some time later, Lester catches his wife with her lover at the drive-through window of the fast food restaurant where he is employed. Despite Lester’s calm reaction, Carolyn’s lover breaks off their liaison, fearing financial complications in his own divorce and scandal to his reputation. She angrily drives home with her gun, seemingly with the intention of confronting her husband, believing him to have ruined her life. Lester pages Ricky for marijuana, raising the suspicions of Col. Fitts that the two are involved in a homosexual liaison. He observes Ricky rolling a joint for Lester while he lounges on a couch, but due to his perspective he believes that he has observed his son performing fellatio. Convinced that his son is gay, he confronts Ricky and threatens to throw him out of the house. Realizing that this will free him from his family, Ricky plays in to his father’s mistaken impression, claiming that he is a prostitute.
Ricky goes next door to Jane and asks her if she will travel to live in New York with him. Jane not only agrees, but offers to supply money that she has been saving for a breast augmentation, though Ricky is unconcerned with money as his marijuana sales provide him a steady source of income and a cache of $40,000. Angela, who is visiting Jane’s house, accuses both of being “freaks,” to which Ricky retorts that she is ugly, ordinary, and boring. Angela is devastated, the implication being that Ricky has exposed her deepest fear; that she suspects she is indeed ordinary, a fate she considers unbearable. At the same time, Lester is quietly approached in his garage while working out by a distraught Col. Fitts, who has been out in the rain. Lester attempts to comfort Col. Fitts who kisses him, believing him to be a homosexual based on what he had seen earlier. Lester rejects this advance calmly as a misunderstanding, and Fitts leaves, humiliated.
Returning to his family room, Lester finds a vulnerable Angela. He admits his attraction to her, and that he has been working out. He begins to undress her, but she admits that she is a virgin. He cannot bring himself to take her virginity. Conversing with Angela in the kitchen, Lester realizes that he is truly happy. As Angela heads to the bathroom, Lester contemplates an old photo of his smiling family - unaware that a gun is being held to the back of his head.
The movie ends with Lester’s description of his life flashing before his eyes, interspersed with scenes of his family and others at the moment of the gunshot. Ricky and Jane react to the gunshot from the upstairs bedroom, Angela from a bathroom, Carolyn from outside the front door (where she had been approaching the house with her own gun to confront her husband). As Carolyn disposes of her gun and weeps for Lester, Col. Fitts is seen back in his own house removing latex gloves and a blood soaked shirt.
Lester narrates over the closing images, recalling the things he loved about his life and family, and reflects on the overwhelming beauty in the world. He assures the viewers that, even though they probably don’t understand what he is talking about now, they will someday.
AMERICAN BEAUTY QUOTES:
Lester Burnham: Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go fuck himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus.
Lester Burnham: I’m looking for the least possible amount of responsibility.
Lester Burnham: That’s my wife, Carolyn. See the way the handle on her pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That’s not an accident.
Lester Burnham: We’ve met before, but something tells me you’re going to remember me this time.
Lester Burnham: 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I’ve always wanted and now I have it. I rule!
Lester Burnham: I want to look good naked!
Lester Burnham: You’re one to talk, you bloodless, money-grubbing freak.
Lester Burnham: My name is Lester Burnham. This is my neighborhood; this is my street; this is my life. I am 42 years old; in less than a year I will be dead. Of course I don’t know that yet, and in a way, I am dead already.
Lester Burnham: Look at me, jerking off in the shower, this will be the high point of my day. It’s all downhill from here.
Jane Burnham: I know you think my dad’s harmless, but you’re wrong.
Ricky Fitts: My dad thinks I paid for all this with catering jobs. Never underestimate the power of denial.
Angela Hayes: You total slut, you have a crush on him. You’re defending him, you love him, you wanna have, like, ten thousand of his babies.
Carolyn Burnham: Fuck me, your majesty!
Carolyn Burnham: Honey, I’m so proud of you. I watched you very closely, and you didn’t screw up once!
Carolyn Burnham: You ungrateful little brat! Just look at everything you have. When I was your age, we… lived in a duplex! We didn’t even have our own house!
AMERICAN BEAUTY TRIVIA:
The films enigmatic tagline “Look Closer” can be seen on a card or sticker at Lester’s desk.
The role of Angela Hayes was offered to Kirsten Dunst, who turned it down.
Jessica Biel was originally cast as Jane Burnham but had to drop out due to conflicts with “7th Heaven” producer Aaron Spelling. The part then went to Thora Birch.
Before Kevin Spacey was cast as Lester, Tom Hanks and Chevy Chase were both offered the role.
The original movie ending had Lester Burnham remembering the events leading up to his death, and his daughter and her boyfriend going to trial for his murder.
AWARDS:
Winner of 5 Oscars at the 2000 Academy Awards:
Best Picture
Best Actor - Kevin Spacey
Best Director - Sam Mendes
Cinematography
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Winner of 3 Golden Globes at the 2000 Golden Globe Awards:
Best Motion Picture (Drama)
Best Director - Sam Mendes
Best Screenplay
Winner of 3 Actors at the 2000 Screen Actors Guild Awards:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Kevin Spacey
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Annette Bening
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
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