American Beauty (1999)


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

Directed by:            Sam Mendes
Produced by:            Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, Janet Yale


Lester Burnham's wife Carolyn, who's cheating on him, hates him, his daughter Jane regards 
him with contempt, and his boss is positioning him for the ax -- the typical suburban nightmare. 
When you've got nothing to lose, you might as well risk everything. Provoked by forbidden 
passions, Lester decides to make a few changes in his life that are less mid-life crisis than 
adolescence redux. The freer he gets, the happier he gets, which is even more maddening to wife 
and daughter alike. A pandora's box of fantasies as he begins lust after his daughter's 
over-developed friend. But Lester Burnham is about to learn that the ultimate freedom comes 
at the ultimate price. 

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A biting, penetrating and often humorous take on contemporary life in suburban America, Lester 
Burnham becomes intrigued by a young girl named Angela, and this fascination sparks him to make 
some major changes in his life. He relishes these changes, much to the exasperation of his 
wife Carolyn.