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Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a magazine writer and advertising executive, narrates the movie. He's 42 years old and says he'll be dead within a year. His wife is Carolyn (Annette Bening), a real estate broker who constantly puts on a positive face to those around her. They have a teenage daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), who doesn't have high self-esteem and thinks her parents are lame. Carolyn also thinks Lester is lame but does not seem to realize Jane feels the same way about her. They have neighbors named Jim Olmeyer (Scott Bakula) and Jim Berkley (Sam Robards), who are gay lovers. They've also got new neighbors at another house next door, but the Burnhams haven't met them yet. In his narration, Lester says he's lost something at this point in his life but it's never too late to get it back.
Lester hates his job, and he especially hates his superiors. One is Brad (Barry Del Sherman), an efficiency expert who has asked Lester to write a paragraph telling him (and the company) what he does each day. The company is going to be making some personnel cuts. Lester says he's been there 14 years, Brad a month. He also makes mention of the company boss using company funds for prostitutes. Later that evening, the Burnhams are eating dinner with easy listening music playing from the other room. Lester asks Jane how school was and gets an apathetic response. Lester starts to then talk about his day but can tell Carolyn and Jane really could care less. After dinner, Jane and Lester are in the kitchen washing dishes and the new boy next door is videotaping them.
Carolyn has an Open House the next day and is driven to sell the house today. She cleans up the place and gussies herself up before showing the house off to several people, none of whom share her excitement for the house. That night, Carolyn and Lester attend a high school basketball game since Jane is a cheerleader. Jane sees them and groans, telling her friend Angela (Mena Suvari) that they're trying to take an interest in what she does. During the cheerleading performance, Lester is captivated by Angela. Afterwards, in the parking lot Angela meets Jane's parents. Carolyn is Little Miss Sunshine. Lester rambles on and on with Angela, even offering her a ride with Jane and them. Jane hates all of this and decides she'll hang out with Angela, who has a car, and go home later. In the car, Angela says she doesn't mind that Lester ogled her, because it means she's hot and can be a model. When Jane exits the car at her home, she sees the neighbor boy taping her and flips him off before going inside. However, Jane smiles a bit when she gets inside.
The next morning, Jane is in the shower. Lester goes into her room and finds Angela's phone number, then calls her, but hangs up because the shower stops running. Angela calls back and Jane answers. She sees her phone book open to Angela's number and figures out her dad must have called her. Meanwhile, the neighbor boy is taping her through the window again until he gets called down to breakfast. These neighbors are Col. Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper), wife Barbara (Allison Janney) and son Ricky (Wes Bentley). Frank is hardcore military, big on discipline and structure, and having a total prejudice against certain people. Barbara is introverted and seemingly in a trance sometimes. Ricky keeps hundreds of videotapes in his bedroom but also secretly deals marijuana, which he covers up from his father by working catering jobs. While eating, the doorbell rings. Frank answers, and it's the two Jims, who welcome them to the neighborhood. Frank thinks they're salesmen since one introduced the other as his partner. We don't see how the conversation ends, but we can assume it didn't end well.
Driving Ricky to school, Frank complains of homosexuals taking over Suburbia. Ricky at first doesn't think it's a big deal, but Frank gets defensive so Ricky then changes his tune, saying homosexuality makes him sick. Angela and Jane are hanging outside the school. Angela is telling stories to a couple of other girls about how she sleeps with photographers to get ahead. The others aren't impressed. Ricky arrives at school and Jane tells Angela that's who was taping her. Angela knows of him from years past, saying he just vanished one day and was told he went into a mental institution. Ricky comes up to Jane, who scolds him for taping her. Ricky apologizes, saying he was just curious. Ricky leaves and Angela whines that he never even looked at her once. Jane seems to have conflicting feelings about him.
Lester and Carolyn attend a real estate event. We meet Carolyn's business rival, Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher), who's the Real Estate King. He and Lester chat, and Lester reminds him they've met before but Buddy shouldn't worry because Lester wouldn't remember Lester either. He plants a kiss on Carolyn and acts like everything's hunky-dory, since that's what Carolyn wanted him to do. Lester than goes to the bar and Ricky is actually working the event. He introduces himself to Lester and they hit it off, eventually going outside to smoke pot since they both are bored. Meanwhile, Carolyn drinks wine and says she's in awe of Buddy and how he presents himself successfully. She says she wants to pick his brain over lunch. He agrees to it. Outside, Ricky's boss catching him smoking with Lester. Ricky quits, then tells Lester of how he gets these jobs to cover for his real source of income, which is what they're smoking. Carolyn then finds Lester outside, and she's ready to leave. While all this is going on, Jane and Angela have been hanging out at Jane's house. When Jane's parents come home, Angela decides to go flirt with Lester, much to Jane's chagrin. Jane tells Carolyn that Angela's going to spend the night here, which causes Lester to spit out his root beer.
Angela and Jane are in Jane's bedroom. Angela says Lester would be hot if he worked out. Lester is eavesdropping so he hears this. Angela says she heard a noise. Lester thinks it's him so he runs off. The noise is actually a rock tossed at Jane's window. The girls check and see "Jane" written out in fire in the yard. Jane realizes Ricky must be taping them right now. Angela decides to pose in the window. Ricky ignores her and zooms the camera in on Jane, who we see smiling in the mirror, enjoying being desired by someone she finds interesting. Ricky then shifts his camera to the Burnham's garage, where he sees Lester begin to work out with dumbbells shirtless. Frank knocks on Ricky's bedroom door to collect the semi-annual urine sample. Ricky says he'll have it for him by morning. Turns out Ricky has a clean sample in his freezer. Later that night, Lester dreams of Angela in the bathtub and begins to masturbate in bed, which wakes up Carolyn. Lester is unapologetic, saying at least one of them is doing something about their sexual frustrations. Carolyn threatens to divorce him, but he calls her bluff and wins the argument, and feels great about it.
Lester jogs with the two Jims until he sees Ricky. He stops and greets Ricky's dad, then talks about a DVD Ricky was going to lend him. They go into Ricky's room. Frank, having just seen Lester jogging with two homosexuals, is a little unsure. In the bedroom, Ricky presents the choices of pot to Lester and Lester makes a purchase. At the office later, Lester meets with Brad and Brad reads Lester's paragraph about his job duties. "My job consists of masking my contempt for the assholes in charge, and at least once a day retiring to the men's room so I can jerk off." Lester doesn't care. Brad tells him to clear out his things. Lester winds up blackmailing Brad for a great pension, bringing up again the boss using company funds for prostitutes. He also waves a sexual harassment charge over Brad's head, saying who could prove that Brad didn't offer for Lester to keep his job if he gave him a blowjob. Lester winds up getting a one-year severance with full benefits. Meanwhile, Buddy and Carolyn meet for lunch and wind up later hooking up at a motel, where Buddy tells Carolyn that he relieves stress by firing a gun at a firing range.
Lester sings with the radio and smokes a joint in his car. He stops at the drive-thru to place an order and fill out a job application, saying he wants as little responsibility as possible. Jane walks home from school with Ricky, which Angela isn't happy about. Ricky introduces Jane to his mom, then shows Jane his dad's collection of war stuff, including a rare Nazi plate. He also plays videos for Jane and gets emotional about the beauty of certain mundane things that he videotapes. Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world that he can't stand it. Ricky and Jane kiss.
Dinner at the Burnhams again. Carolyn is in angry disbelief about Lester's day, and Lester tells Jane about how he quit his job and extorted $60K from the company, and please pass the asparagus. Carolyn argues. Lester wants asparagus. Jane starts to leave. Lester yells for her to sit down and then gets the asparagus himself. He starts to talk more but Carolyn starts up again, so Lester throws the plate with the asparagus at the wall and calmly states for her not to interrupt him. Lester also says from now on everyone gets to alternate with choosing the dinner music since he's fed up with the "Lawrence Welk shit." Later Jane is in her room. Carolyn comes in. An argument ensues and Carolyn slaps Jane, calling her spoiled. Afterwards, Jane goes to her window. Ricky is taping her. She sees this and disrobes her top for him. Ricky's filming is interrupted when Frank bursts into his room and slugs him. Frank has found out Ricky got into the war memorabilia. Ricky says he was just showing off the plate to his girlfriend. Upon hearing "girlfriend", Frank calms down somewhat, but still says Ricky is undisciplined and orders him to stay out of there.
Carolyn decides to take up Buddy's gun hobby, and winds up loving it. On her way home from the firing range, she's in a great mood and sings with the radio, but stops when she pulls into her driveway and sees a 1970 Firebird. Lester traded in the Camry for it. Lester is also feeling rambunctious, and Carolyn seems to be getting into it too, but she kills the mood when she warns Lester not to spill beer on the couch.
Jane and Ricky are in the bedroom. They film each other. Ricky tells of being sent to military school at 15. He got kicked out and returned to public school, which angered his dad. At the public school, another kid made fun of Ricky's military haircut and Ricky wound up beating him almost to death. This got him sent to a mental hospital for 2 years. Despite all this, Ricky says he doesn't hate his dad. Jane says she hates hers though. He's got a crush on her friend and is just pathetic. She infers someone should put him out of his misery. Ricky asks her if he should kill him. She says yes. Ricky says it's not a very nice thing to do. Jane says she guesses she's not a nice person then. This stops the videotaping, but afterwards both agree they weren't serious.
The next day. Lester narrates about the saying that "today is the first day of the rest of your life", but says that's true for every day except the day you die. Jane asks Carolyn if Angela can sleep over. Carolyn says of course, and thought they had a fight since Angela hasn't been here lately. Jane says it's because Lester is always drooling over Angela. Lester tells her to watch herself. Next door, Frank searches Ricky's room and finds the video of Lester working out shirtless.
Lester is at work and he hears a familiar voice in the headset getting drive-thru. He recognizes it's Carolyn, and he hears Buddy's voice too. Lester goes to the window and sees the two of them kissing in the car. Lester then delivers the fast food jingle and says hello to them, telling Buddy they've met before but he's pretty sure he'll remember him now. Carolyn tries to say they were heading to a business event. Lester throws out tons of snark. Carolyn objects but Lester tells her to zip it, saying she doesn't ever get to tell him what to do ever again. Buddy and Carolyn drive back to the motel. Buddy says he guesses they should cool it off for awhile. Carolyn is distraught.
It's pouring rain outside. Lester's in the garage working out. He's run out of pot so he beeps Ricky, who is eating dinner with his family. He sees the page and tells Frank that it's Jane, who needs her geometry book. In her car, Angela teases Jane about Ricky and pries her for sex detail. Jane doesn't want to say anything, nor hear about Angela's supposed conquests either. Frank looks out the window and sees Ricky and Lester in the house. From the angle, the shirtless Lester looks to be receiving a blowjob from Ricky. In reality, Ricky is rolling a fresh joint for him. Ricky and Lester quickly clean up when Jane and Angela arrive at the house. Angela starts right in on Lester, feeling his muscles. Lester flirts back and Angela nervously leaves. When Ricky returns to his home, Frank confronts him. Ricky laughs at his dad's inference that Ricky just went over there to sexually service Lester, but Frank yells at Ricky for laughing and slugs him. He warns Ricky if he's gay, he'll throw him out. Ricky sees the opportunity and lies to Frank, saying he sucks men off for money, $2,000 a session. Frank sobs as he tells Ricky to leave forever. Ricky calls him a sad old man.
Carolyn sits in her car listening to a motivational tape tell her that she doesn't have to be the victim. She gets her gun from the glove compartment. Meanwhile, Jane and Angela argue about Lester. Ricky arrives and asks Jane if he leaves tonight, will she join him. Jane says yes. Angela browbeats the two of them but loses the argument, especially when Ricky tells her she's the most ordinary and boring person in the world. Angela storms out.
Lester is working out in the garage. He sees Frank's face in the window and opens the door. Frank is standing there, obviously upset, in the pouring rain. Lester asks him what's wrong. Frank asks where Lester's wife is. Lester says she's probably out fucking the Real Estate King. He also says the marriage is just for show to pretend they're a normal family, and they should get Frank out of these wet clothes. Frank sobs and hugs Lester, who seems a little confused as to the hug and the fact that Frank is starting to massage his shoulder. Frank then starts to kiss Lester, who recoils and politely apologizes, telling Frank he's got the wrong idea. Frank leaves into the rain.
Lester goes inside. Angela is listening to the stereo in the living room. She says her and Jane had a fight, and it was about Lester. Angela asks if she's ordinary. Lester says she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Angela is happy to hear that Lester desires him, but genuinely so. They kiss and eventually prepare to go all the way. Just as they're about to start, Angela admits that she's a virgin, and wants Lester to know that in case he wonders why she's not very good at this. Lester realizes it wouldn't be right for him to be her first. Angela feels terrible. Lester holds her as she cries. In time, she calms down and the two of them talk about things. Lester asks how Jane is. Angela says she's happy and in love. Lester smiles upon hearing that. Angela asks Lester how he is. He just says he's great. And he really is. He's never been more content. Angela goes to the bathroom to freshen up. Lester repeats out loud that he's great, and he looks at a family photo with he, Carolyn and Jane, not being at all aware of the gun being pointed at his head from behind...
A shot is fired and blood covers the wall.
Jane and Ricky run downstairs from Jane's bedroom having heard the gunshot. They find Lester dead, but smiling. Ricky smiles briefly at Lester, who's gone out happy. Lester narrates that it's said one sees his/her entire life flash by before one dies. In his case, it lasted much longer than a second. He flashed back to lying on his back in the grass gazing at the stars...we see Jane and Ricky hear the gunshot and dart out of bed...he flashed back to the maple trees that line his street...we see Angela in the bathroom mirror fixing her face, then hear the gunshot and look back at the door...he flashed back to how soft his grandmother's hands were...we see Carolyn approach the house with her gun drawn in the pouring rain, and a muffled gunshot sounds that she does not hear...he flashed back to his cousin's new Firebird...
...we see the light turn on in the room where Frank Fitts keeps his war memorabilia. Frank's t-shirt is covered in blood and rain. He takes the shirt off as the camera pans to one gun being missing from its place in the collection.
Lester's narration continues, having wonderful memories of Jane and Carolyn. Carolyn has meanwhile found Lester's body as well. She buries her gun in the hamper and collapses in the closet sobbing. The film ends with Lester saying he should probably be angry about dying, but it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world.
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Jessica Biel was originally cast as Jane Burnham but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.....The original script had a backstory of Frank Fitts having a gay lover who had died in Vietnam, but it was omitted since the belief was Frank's revealing of his homosexuality was more effective towards the end of the film. The original script also wound up having Ricky and Jane arrested for the murder with the videotape of them discussing killing Lester being what landed them in hot water.....Lester throwing the asparagus plate at the wall was unscripted. He was supposed to throw it on the floor. Spacey decided to spice it up.....The title of the film refers to a breed of roses that are pretty in appearance, but often prone to rot underneath at the roots and branches of the plant. Thus the tagline "Look closer" tells the viewer that when they look beyond the Burnham's facade of a perfect suburban life they will find something rancid at its roots. "Look closer" can be seen in Lester's cubicle at work (shown here in an above photo). It was simply something a set designer had put there, and director Sam Mendes noticed it while editing and suggested it be used for the film's tagline.....This film was both director Mendes's and screenwriter Alan Ball's debuts. Both won Oscars for it.....Birch was 17 when she shot the topless scene. Birch and her parents were comfortable with it since they all felt it belonged where and how it occurs in the story, developing the characters. Mendes was prepared to modify the scene however necessary if there were any objections from Birch's family.....Thomas Newman's score is still popular today, with several individual pieces used for other movie trailers. Also, progressive house music artist Jakatta sampled a couple of tracks for use in his song "American Dream".
American Beauty won raves when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and those raves continued everywhere else it opened. Many critics called it the best film of 1999. Mendes was praised for his direction, Ball was praised for his screenplay, and the actors who portrayed the Burnham family were all praised for giving such depth to their roles. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars. Not surprisingly, all of this led to lots of Academy love, with the film garnering 8 Oscar nominations. It lost out in the categories of Lead Actress (Bening), Film Editing (Tariq Anwar and Christopher Greenbury) and Original Score (Thomas Newman), but it did bring home statuettes for Cinematography (Conrad Hall), Original Screenplay (Ball), Director (Mendes), Lead Actor (Spacey) and Best Picture. That top prize came over The Cider House Rules (good film that had the best shot of winning the top prize if Beauty didn't, but who today even remembers this one?), The Green Mile (most like it, but I found it too long, slow and schmaltzy), The Insider (meh) and The Sixth Sense (if you take a vote in 2014, most would probably say this was the best film).
I've seen American Beauty four or five times now. It never bores me. I'm not sure I fully understand why over the years this has gotten the tag of being so overrated. In the case of some people, such as my wife, the film never appealed to them. That's fine. But how can so many others who gushed over the film in 1999 and 2000 be so turned off by it just a few years later? Was it overpraised? Was it a weak year overall for awards-level movies? The debate can rage on forever and we may never really get concrete answers. So here's what I recommend: Look Closer. Ignore all the facts in regards to awards and acclaim. Just watch the movie and judge for yourself. To me, if this movie is one thing and one thing only, American Beauty is damn sure entertaining.
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