Logline of American Beauty: A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter’s best friend.
Writer: Alan Ball
Director: Sam Mendes
Genre: Black comedy-drama
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, Peter Gallagher
Release Date: September 17, 1999
Script Can Be Found Here
As part of a weekly series, I’m looking at some of the WGA’s List of Top 101 Screenplays to see how everyone’s favorite screenwriting formula shows up. I neither condone nor condemn the framework. I’m just deeply curious about how it shows up in modern, great films.
Rank on WGA List: #38
“American Beauty” Summary:
Using a beyond-the-grave narration, middle-aged suburbanite Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) recounts the events in the last few weeks of his life and how, essentially, he had an awakening to life. At the story’s beginning, he is married to real estate agent Carolyn (Annette Bening) and father to angst-ridden teenager Jane (Thora Birch) ; unfortunately, no one seems to love each other in this family. Lester’s workplace is no better; he feels like he’s been a “whore to the advertising industry,” and he finds that the politics at his job are corrupt.
Things change upon seeing his daughter perform her cheerleading routine; his focus isn’t on her so much as it is her friend, Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). In a dream sequence, she starts dancing, opens her shirt, and rose petals come flying out. From that point on, he continues to fantasize about pursuing her while career-obsessed Carolyn further focuses on her career (and real estate king Buddy Kane) and Jane befriends the son of the new neighbors next door: Ricky Fitz (Wes Bentley). Lester’s pursuit of Angela (and his youth) continues when he decides to get in shape, quit his job, blackmail his boss, and get a job at Mr. Smiley’s (much to Carolyn’s dismay, who is now cheating on him with Buddy and has taken up shooting guns).
Towards the end of the film, Ricky and Jane record themselves talking about killing Lester.
On the day that Lester dies, he first finds about Carolyn’s affair when she drives through the drive-thru at Mr. Smiley’s with Buddy (Lester overhears their banter); later that night, Buddy dumps Carolyn. That night, Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) believes he sees his son Ricky go down on Lester in Lester’s garage (when, in fact they’re rolling joints) and later beats him up for it. Ricky goes over to the Burnham house in an attempt to get Jane to come with him to New York. Angela tries to stop them, but Ricky finally calls her out on how ugly, boring, and totally ordinary she is. She cries, goes downstairs. Colonel Frank Fitts goes over to Lester and attempts to kiss him, and Lester rebuffs his advances. Carolyn listens to her self-help tapes and comes home with her gun. Lester sexually pursues Angela in his living room but stops when she says that she’s a virgin; he admits that he could never go through with it. Later, while musing on his family’s picture, someone shoots Lester from behind. At the time of death/gunshot, Lester talks about what he saw in the last few moments of his life. We see all of the characters where they were at the time of his death: Ricky and Jane (who talked about killing Lester) lie upstairs in Jane’s bed; Angela fixes her make-up in the bathroom; and Carolyn comes walking in from the rain with her gun. The culprit is Frank Fitts who comes home covered in blood. Continuing with the beyond-the-grave narration, Lester finishes with “And I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. But don’t worry, you will someday.”
Important Difference Between Film and Screenplay:
The screenplay is bookended with Ricky and Jane in jail awaiting conviction for Lester’s death and then being sentenced. Colonel Frank Fitts helps them get convicted. These scenes were shot but scrapped because, according to Alan Ball, “it was just too cynical and too awful.”
“American Beauty” Analysis:
| Number | STC Element | Page(s) in Script | Event in Script |
| 1 | Opening Image (typically on page 1) | Page 5 | In the movie: Through Ricky Fitts’s lens, we see Jane complain about her dad. They jokingly talk about killing him. In the script: it begins with a courtroom scene about Lester’s murder (that got nixed). |
| 2 | Theme Stated (typically by page 5) | Page 8 | “And, in a way, I’m dead already.” |
| 3 | Set-Up (typically pages 1-10) | Pages 1-21 | Six Things that Need Fixing: 1) Lester’s relationship to Jane (she contemplates killing him), 2) He knows he’s going to die within a year, 3) He’s dead already; the happiest part of his day is jerking off in the shower; he also notes that he has lost something 4) His relationship to Carolyn (“She Used to Be Happy. We used to be happy.”) 5) Lester hates his job; his office is corrupt and Brad is having everyone write out a job description, 6) Janie doesn’t like Carolyn |
| 4 | Catalyst (typically by page 12) | Page 21 | Lester fantasizes about Angela at the game. She does a provocative dance only for him, opens her shirt, and the rose petals fly out. His awakening begins. |
| 5 | Debate (typically pages 12-25) | Pages 12-28 | Lester wants Angela, but doesn’t overtly make that decision or say anything out loud. He makes a fool of himself in front of his daughter, Angela, and his wife; he fantasizes about Angela, awakens; he crank calls Angela; he goes to the networking event with Carolyn (“I wouldn’t remember me either.”). Lester makes friends with Ricky, has the dream sequence in which he makes out with her and a petal pops out. The big question is: will he pursue her or not? |
| 6 | Break Into Two (typically by page 25) | Page 29 | Having heard that Angela “would totally fuck him,” Lester begins working out. |
| 7 | B-Story (typically by page 30) | Page 20/Page 29 | Ricky meets Jane on page 20 (and I interpret them as the B-plot). When Ricky spells her name in fire on page 29, that’s when the relationship really gets going. As he spies on her and Angela, he’s really not interested in Angela’s vamping; he’s interested in Jane’s more subtle beauty. |
| 8 | Fun and Games (typically pages 30-55) | Pages 29 – 58 | Lester continues to work out, fantasize about Angela, and generally get on Carolyn’s and Jane’s nerves. |
| 9 | Midpoint (typically by page 55) | Pages 58-59 | Lester quits his job by writing a resignation letter and blackmailing the company. “I’m just an ordinary guy with nothing to lose.” |
| 10 | Bad Guys Close In (pages 55-75) | Pages 59 – 79 | Unbeknownst to Lester, Carolyn begins an affair with Buddy. Applies for a job at the fast food restaurant; another awful dinner (Carolyn has a meltdown) wherein Lester stands up for himself by throwing a plate of asparagus at the wall; the Colonel beats up Ricky; Carolyn learns how to shoot the gun |
| 11 | All is Lost (page 75) | Pages 79 – 81 | Whiff of death: Carolyn sees that Lester has sold the car for a vintage one. (Note: in the script, there isn’t the banter about spilling beer on the couch). Carolyn mentions that “I’m not as helpless as you think I am” (after going to shoot guns). The relationship is pretty much over. |
| 12 | Dark Night of the Soul (pages 75-85) | Pages 81 -85 | A-plot: N/A. Nothing is stated here. Lester doesn’t necessarily regret his actions. He’s not trying to save his marriage. B-plot: Ricky and Jane talk about offing Lester. |
| 13 | Break Into Three (typically by page 85) | Page 86 | Enter Act Three with “Remember those posters that said today’s the first day of the rest of your life?…” The A-plot and the B-plot begin to intertwine when Colonel Fitts sees Lester mouth “call me” to Ricky. |
| 14 | Finale (pages 85-110) | Pages 86-118 | Carolyn discovers that Lester’s working at Mr. Smiley’s; Lester discovers their affair. Carolyn is dumped. The Colonel goes after Ricky, believing that Ricky is gay. Ricky leaves, invites Jane to run away with him; Angela leaves. The Colonel comes over to Lester’s garage, attempts to kiss him. Lester rebuffs his advances; the Colonel leaves in shame. Lester attempts to make a move on Angela, stops when she realizes that she’s a virgin and could never do that. Someone shoots Lester. Ricky and Jane come down and look at the body (it’s not them); Carolyn comes in (it’s not her); it’s the Colonel (who comes back in the rain, covered in blood). According to the script: The kids are convicted, the Colonel goes free (this was cut in the movie) |
| 15 | Final Image (page 110) | Pages 118-119 | Lester’s voiceover above the clouds: “You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure…but you will someday.” |
Lessons from the Screenplay:
Above all, American Beauty somewhat follows STC, but where it joyfully deviates is right around the time that his marriage is pretty much over. There doesn’t seem to be a “Dark Night of the Soul” wherein he regrets his actions and tries to save his marriage; he still continues with his plan of trying to woo/bed Angela.
Much like The Graduate before it, American Beauty exists as an allegory, meaning that the characters are representing something greater than the characters and their actions.
In other words, yes, we can’t deny that this is a story about a 42-year-old fantasizing about a teenaged girl BUT that’s only at face value; what’s really occurring is that Lester is lusting after youth and life itself. As he states in the beginning, he’s “dead already” and that Angela’s youth is reviving him, causing him to have an awakening.
We know this because of several different clues. First, there is the “look closer” tagline (which also is seen prominently as a bumper sticker in his cubicle). The film is asking us to look beyond old appearances to see what is really going on. Second, the film makes references to the Lomans (from Death of a Salesman) who just moved out of the neighborhood and Angela’s last name is Hayes (which sounds a lot like “Haze,” Lolita’s surname in Lolita). Both of these self-referential literary references demonstrate that this narrative isn’t grounded in straight-up realism; instead, it’s more like a figurative allegory. Finally, when Angela tells Lester that she’s a virgin, that revelation causes his fantasy to come crashing down. She is a child; therefore, he can’t do this. He recognizes that, in this moment, he had been chasing a fantasy, and now reality is inescapable.
“Never underestimate the power of denial,” Ricky notes. Denial, or self-deception, is the predominant theme for many of the characters, especially those who have suppressed their true selves. In American Beauty, there seems to be two camps of characters: those who gravitate towards seeing things as they actually are (Jane, Ricky) and those who are caught up in appearances (Carolyn, Angela, Buddy). Granted, Jane struggles with how-things-are because she’s saving up money to buy breast implants or alter herself; what she learns from Ricky is how to appreciate life on life’s terms (even the most awful bits). On the other hand, Carolyn, obsessed with appearances, naturally gravitates towards Buddy, who’s own philosophy is to maintain the appearance of success at all times. Angela projects the image of attempting to be extraordinary with her (fake?) modeling career but absolutely crumples when Ricky accuses her of being the worst thing in her book: ordinary.
The Colonel (whom I’d put in the realist camp) remains in denial of his homosexuality for most of the movie (“what is this? A fucking gay pride parade?”) finally has an awakening towards the end of the film. When he thinks that Lester is also gay, he does have an awakening (and makes a move), but Lester rebuffing him (just like he did Angela) causes him such mortification that he feels the need to kill Lester (which reminded me of the expression of how the (homosexual) closet kills.)