American Beauty

1999122 minutesR

5.6

Arcplot Score

📝 Unconventional

Unverified

⭐ 8.3IMDb

🍅 87%Rotten Tomatoes

Ⓜ️ 84/100Metacritic

🎬 8.0TMDb

📊 6.7Popularity

🏆Won 5 Oscars. 112 wins & 102 nominations total

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sam Mendes

After his death sometime in his 43rd year, suburbanite Lester Burnham tells of the last few weeks of his life, during which he had no idea of his imminent passing. He is a husband to real estate agent Carolyn Burnham and father to high school student Jane Burnham. Although Lester and Carolyn once loved each other, they now merely tolerate each other. Typical wallflower Jane also hates both her parents; the three suffer individually in silence in their home life. Jane tries to steer clear of both her parents. Carolyn, relatively new to the real estate business, wants to create the persona of success to further her career, aspiring to the professional life of Buddy Kane, the king of the real estate business in their neighborhood. Lester merely walks mindlessly through life, including at his job in advertising. His company is downsizing, and he, like all the other employees, has to justify his position to the newly hired efficiency expert to keep his job. Things change for Lester when he falls in love at first sight with Jane's more experienced classmate, Angela Hayes. Both Janie and Angela can see Lester's sexual infatuation with Angela, who courts such attention from any man as a sign that she is model material, she having once appeared in Seventeen and is a career to which she aspires. Lester's infatuation with Angela gives him a reenergized view on life, where he openly doesn't care anymore what anyone thinks about what he does, anyone except Angela. This infatuation coincides with the Fittses moving in next door: homophobic disciplinarian US Marine Colonel Frank Fitts who rules the house with a military fist (that fist being both figurative and literal), his semi-comatose wife Barbara Fitts, and their bright and quietly subversive 18-year-old son Ricky Fitts, who openly abides by his father's rules while behind the scenes lives by his own quite different perspective. Much like Lester's infatuation, Ricky immediately becomes infatuated with Jane; he considers girls like Angela as ordinary. The entry of Angela and the Fittses into the Burnhams' lives ultimately leads to each of the players confronting what is truly in his or her heart.

Box Office

Budget:$15.0M

Revenue:$356.3M

Profit:$341.3M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision4.2/10

Emotional Arc Impact5.5/10

Thematic Consistency7/10

Overall Score5.6/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Opening Image

1 min

Theme Stated

8 min

Set-Up

15 min

Catalyst

28 min

Debate

38 min

Break Into Two

50 min

B Story

60 min

Fun and Games

75 min

Midpoint

90 min

Bad Guys Close In

100 min

All Is Lost

110 min

Dark Night of the Soul

115 min

Break Into Three

118 min

Finale

121 min

Final Image

122 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

Opening Image

1 min

Suburban American home. Lester Burnham looking unhappy at work. Trapped in routine, disillusioned. Themes of midlife crisis and suburban malaise introduced.

Theme Stated

8 min

Carolyn: "Life is about the little things." Theme of appearances vs. true fulfillment introduced. Lester silently questions his life.

Set-Up

15 min

Family dynamic shown: Lester, Carolyn, Jane (daughter). Neighbors, friends, co-workers. Midlife dissatisfaction, marital tension, teenage alienation. Seeds of rebellion planted.

Catalyst

28 min

Lester becomes infatuated with Angela, Jane’s friend. Sparks desire for freedom and change. Inciting incident shifts Lester into active pursuit of happiness.

Debate

38 min

Should Lester resign from work, pursue dreams, or continue life in stagnation? Hesitation and self-reflection. Trying to reclaim youth and vitality.

Break Into Two

50 min

Lester quits his job, buys a car, starts working out. Embracing hedonistic pursuit and rebellion. Transition into new world of action and self-assertion.

B Story

60 min

Jane and Ricky’s friendship deepens. Love story/coming-of-age thread complements Lester’s personal transformation. Truth, beauty, and self-expression explored.

Fun and Games

75 min

Lester exploring life: smoking pot, flirting with Angela, rebelling against corporate life. Comedic, ironic, and sometimes erotic moments. Promise of midlife liberation and discovery.

Midpoint

90 min

Lester and Angela intimate. False victory: sense of ultimate freedom and desire fulfilled. But external conflicts loom: Carolyn’s ambition, Lester’s fragile family life. Stakes raised.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

100 min

Carolyn discovers Lester’s rebellion. Family tension escalates. Work, neighbors, and societal expectations intrude. Lester’s dream threatened.

#11

All Is Lost

110 min

Colonel Fitts becomes suspicious of Lester. Lester vulnerable. Moment of ultimate peril and emotional despair.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

115 min

Lester contemplates meaning of life, death, and beauty. Emotional reflection on what truly matters. Acceptance and clarity emerge.

#13

Break Into Three

118 min

Lester decides to live authentically. Small reconciliations, embracing love and truth in relationships. Preparation for final resolution.

#14

Finale

121 min

Tragic ending: Lester murdered by Colonel Fitts. However, his final reflections on life, love, and beauty provide catharsis and thematic closure. Freedom in spirit achieved.

#15

Final Image

122 min

Lester’s death framed as acceptance of life and beauty. Suburban life continues, but audience sees lasting impact of Lester’s authenticity. Contrast between mundane and transcendent.