American Beauty
Starring
Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Rating
Rating within genre
Rated
R for sexual activity and adult language
Directed by
Sam Mendes
Written by
Alan Ball
Genre
Drama/with comedy
Film
Color; 2 hrs.
Date of Release
1999
Filming Locations
Torrance, CA (USA)
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Sacremento, CA (USA)
Synopsis
A man that died recounts his life story....a story that involves love, hate, pain, joy, and everything else involved in the real world. He takes charge of his reject life and turns it around - screwing over a bunch of other people on the way.
Summary
'American Beauty' is an amazing and revolutionary film. People are going to jump me for this, but I thought 'The Cider House Rules' was better. Still, that doesn't mean this wasn't a knockout film that blew showbiz away. Spacey and Bening are so great together, and show their true talent in these roles. Bentley and Birch are great....and Suvari makes her second appearance in an American titled movie, doing just as good a job.
The cinematography is extremely inspiring for new and experienced filmmakers alike. The story is over the top....providing a detailed and fairly accurate portayal of everyday life. It's a great film - hell, it won an academy award, didn't it?
Notable Quotes
"It's okay, I wouldn't remember me either." -- Lester
"Don't interrupt me, dear." -- Lester
"I need a father who's a role model, not some horny geek boy who's gonna spray his shorts every time I bring a girlfriend home from school." -- Jane
"Don't be weird." -- Carolyn
"Okay honey, I won't be weird. I'll be anything you want me to be." -- Lester
"I quit. So you don't have to pay me....now leave me alone." -- Ricky
"I think you just became my personal hero." -- Lester
"Are you trying to look unattractive?" -- Carolyn
"Yes." -- Jane
"Well congratulations....you've succeeded admirably." -- Carolyn
"Your father and I were just discussing his day at work. Why don't you tell our daughter about it, honey?" -- Carolyn
"Janie, today I quit my job, and then I told my boss to go f*ck himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus." -- Lester
"Your father seems to think this type of behavior is something to be proud of." -- Carolyn
"And your mother seems to prefer I go through life like a f*cking prisoner while she keeps my dick in a mason jar under the sink." -- Lester
"How dare you speak to me that way in front of her! And I marvel that you can be so contemptuous of me on the same day that you lose your job." -- Carolyn
"Lose it? I didn't lose it. It's not like, 'Oops, where'd my job go?' I quit. Someone pass me the asparagus." -- Lester
Reviews
Stygian Films: "This is an outstanding movie that more than deserves the Oscar it won. Kevin Spacey is hysterical and touching at the same time, and Annette Bening has never been better."
culturevulture.net: "...American Beauty is a bitterly funny and beautifully crafted film, even if it does cover a lot of familiar ground. It’s a movie that keeps replaying itself in your mind long after you’ve left the theater, thanks largely to Kevin Spacey’s lustrous performance as Lester Burnham..."
Flick Filosopher: "...I sat stunned in my seat, unable to move..."
Spliced Online: "Every time see a new Kevin Spacey movie, I expect the world from him, and every time he delivers the galaxy."
Film.com: "Mendes' approach to the material turns the movie into a dreamlike slither, a slightly surreal cruise through the territory of Updike and Cheever. If it is never really as profound as it seems to think it is, American Beauty is consistently entertaining..."
Seattle Times: "...Spacey, who lately has had one career-topping role after another...now tops them all with this perfectly timed, effortlessly droll performance."
Cast List
Kevin Spacey....................Lester Burnham
Annette Bening..................Carolyn Burnham
Thora Birch.......................Jane Burnham
Wes Bentley......................Ricky Fitts
Mena Suvari......................Angela Hayes
Peter Gallagher..................Buddy Kane
Chris Cooper....................Colonel Fitts
Barry Del Sherman............Brad
Scott Bakula......................Jim #1
Sam Robards.....................Jim #2
Allison Janney....................Mrs. Fitts
Beauty is all around,
You just have to look hard enough.....
Also recommended
Magnolia
A River Runs Through It
Pictures taken from Yahoo! under "American Beauty"
Also see The Official American Beauty Website