| Front Cover |
Actor |
|
| Kevin Spacey |
Lester Burnham
|
| Annette Bening |
Caroline Burnham
|
| Thora Birch |
Jane Burnham
|
| Wes Bentley |
Ricky Fitts
|
| Mena Suvari |
Angela Hayes
|
| Peter Gallagher |
Buddy Kane
|
| Allison Janney |
Barbara Fitts
|
| Scott Bakula |
Jim Olmeyer
|
| Sam Robards |
Jim Berkley
|
| Chris Cooper |
Colonel Fitts
|
| Annette Bening |
Carolyn Burnham
|
| Chris Cooper |
Colonel Frank Fitts
|
|
|
| Movie Details |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Director |
Sam Mendes |
| Writer |
Alan Ball |
|
| Language |
English |
| Audience Rating |
R |
| Running Time |
2 hr 0 mins |
| Country |
USA |
| Color |
Color |
|
| Plot |
| 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 |
| Personal Details |
| Seen It |
Yes |
| Index |
357 |
| In Collection |
Yes |
| Purchase Date |
8/4/2003 |
| Tape Label |
122 |
|
| Product Details |
| Format |
VHS |
| Region |
Region 1 |
| Release Date |
2003 |
| Nr of Disks/Tapes |
1 |
|
|