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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1990s
    Movies - 1990s Movies - A 2 Mins Read

    American Beauty (1999)

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    Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a disillusioned father who’s suffering mid-life meltdown and is increasingly alienated from grasping, estate agent wife Carolyn (Annette Bening), sullen teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) and his neighbours.

    americanbeauty_001

    Tired of being “a whore for the advertising industry” he dryly blackmails his boss into a pay-off (“Can you prove that you didn’t offer to save my job if I let you blow me?”), goes to work in a drive-in burger joint, starts lifting weights and smoking pot in his basement and returns to an adolescent hedonism that throws his family and the all-American suburb into chaos.

    The sexually frustrated Carolyn begins a meaningless affair with estate agent Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher) while Les fantasises about Angela (Mena Suvari), a teenage friend of his daughter’s.

    Displeased with her physical appearance, daughter Jane she is saving up for breast augmentation surgery (something she clearly does not need) and as the film progresses, she develops an unusual relationship with Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), the boy next door.

    americanbeauty_004He views life through a video camera, and, when he first trains his lens on Jane, she is nonplused. After a while, however, she feels flattered, and, following a particularly brutal encounter with her parents, she slowly undresses in front of a window while Ricky watches.

    Ricky has his own problems – his mother (Allison Janney) is virtually withdrawn from life and his father (Chris Cooper) is an ex-Marine neo-Nazi who submits his son’s urine for drug testing every six months.

    Meanwhile, Jane also has to deal with Angela’s growing fascination with the possibility of sleeping with Lester – a consideration that disgusts her.

    americanbeauty_005

    Their disparate needs make for a comic tragedy of misunderstanding that combines acute observations with side-splitting scenarios.

    British theatre director Sam Mendes made an astonishing film debut with this sublime black comedy, and this truly outstanding film (on which Steven Spielberg acted as an uncredited producer) deservedly picked up a clutch of Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actor for Spacey.

    Lester Burnham
    Kevin Spacey
    Carolyn Burnham
    Annette Bening
    Jane Burnham
    Thora Birch
    Ricky Fitts
    Wes Bentley
    Angela Hayes
    Mena Suvari
    Buddy Kane
    Peter Gallagher
    Barbara Fitts
    Allison Janney
    Jim Olmeyer
    Scott Bakula
    Jim Berkley
    Sam Robards
    Colonel Fitts
    Chris Cooper

    Director
    Sam Mendes

    Video

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