A man (Kevin Spacey) in midlife crisis and at odds with his wife (Annette Bening) begins working out to... (Learn more)
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch (View All)
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Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch
Noted theater director Sam Mendes, who was responsible for the acclaimed 1998 revival of Cabaret and Nicole Kidman's turn in The Blue Room, made his motion picture debut with this film about the dark side of an American family, and about the nature and price of beauty in a culture obsessed with outward appearances. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a man in his mid-40s going through an intense midlife crisis; he's grown cynical and is convinced that he has no reason to go on. Lester's relationship with his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) is not a warm one; while on the surface Carolyn strives to present the image that she's in full control of her life, inside she feels empty and desperate. Their teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is constantly depressed, lacking in self-esteem, and convinced that she's unattractive. Her problems aren't helped by her best friend Angela (Mena Suvari), an aspiring model who is quite beautiful and believes that that alone makes her a worthwhile person. Jane isn't the only one who has noticed that Angela is attractive: Lester has fallen into uncontrollable lust for her, and she becomes part of his drastic plan to change his body and change his life. Meanwhile, next door, Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) has spent a lifetime in the Marine Corps and can understand and tolerate no other way of life, which makes life difficult for his son Ricky (Wes Bentley), an aspiring filmmaker and part-time drug dealer who is obsessed with beauty, wherever and whatever it may be. American Beauty was also the screen debut for screenwriter Alan Ball. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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US Release Date
9/15/99
MPAA Rating
Rated R
Running Time
118 mins.
Locations
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- San Jose, California, USA
Language
- English
Box Office Total
$130,058,047
Awards
- Winner of the Best Screenplay award at the 1999 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama award at the 1999 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1999 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1999 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actress award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director - Feature Film award at the 1999 Directors Guild of America [Festival/A Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1999 Toronto Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Most Promising Actor award at the 1999 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1999 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Winner of the Best Original Screenplay award at the 1999 Writers Guild of America [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Director award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Original Screenplay award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Cinematography award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Film Music award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Original Score award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1999 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Cinematography award at the 1999 American Society of Cinematographers [ Awards.
- Winner of the Best Performance by a Cast award at the 1999 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Winner of the Best Cinematography award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1999 Los Angeles Film Critics Association [ Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1999 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Winner of the Best Female Actor in a Leading Role award at the 1999 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Actress award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Production Design award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1999 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award award at the 1999 American Society of Cinematographers [ Awards.
- Winner of the Best Cinematography award at the 1999 National Society of Film Critics [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1999 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Winner of the Best Editing award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture - Drama award at the 1999 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1999 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor award at the 1999 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Winner of the Best Original Screenplay award at the 1999 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director [Runner-up] award at the 1999 Toronto Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Film award at the 2000 French Academy of Cinema [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Makeup and Hair award at the 1999 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Original Screenplay award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama award at the 1999 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Editing award at the 1999 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Screenplay [Runner-up] award at the 1999 Toronto Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Original Score award at the 1999 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
Distributor
- DreamWorks
- DreamWorks Home Entertainment
