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American Beauty

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Trailer 1
87%
92. Best
26. Most popular
Ratings and fans
Drama
USA, 1999, 122 min

Plots(1)

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. (official distributor synopsis)

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Awards

  • Winner
  • Nominations

Academy Awards

  • 2000 - Best Motion Picture of the Year
  • 2000 - Sam Mendes (Best Achievement in Directing)
  • 2000 - Kevin Spacey (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role)
  • 2000 - Alan Ball (Best Original Screenplay)
  • 2000 - Conrad L. Hall (Best Achievement in Cinematography)
  • 2000 - Annette Bening (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role)
  • 2000 - Best Achievement in Film Editing
  • 2000 - Thomas Newman (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score))

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)