(1999)
4.5
Lucia Bozzola
A darkly comic critique of suburban stupor with a measured touch of redemption, American Beauty became the most laureled film of 1999. As written by Alan Ball and directed by theatre wunderkind/film neophyte Sam Mendes, the tale of Lester Burnham's final year of life keenly delves into the repressed desires, rampant materialism, skewed values, and gnawing insecurities lurking behind the crisply manicured lawns and meticulously decorated houses lining Any Street, USA. Anchored by Kevin Spacey's gleefully sardonic yet sensitively attuned performance as doomed "seeker" Lester, the superb ensemble cast of adults and teens (including Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Chris Cooper and newcomers Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari) navigate the myriad dysfunctions with wit and flashes of pathos. Complementing the voiced desire for some kind of escape, Lester's and video voyeur Ricky Fitts' search for beauty in the mundane, whether in rose petal-strewn dreams or grainy images of a dancing bag, is given luminous life by veteran cinematographer Conrad L. Hall. Despite the complaint from a few critics that it did not truly "look closer" at the terrain previously covered by The Ice Storm (1997), Happiness (1998), and Blue Velvet (1986), American Beauty garnered several critics' circle prizes and a fistful of Golden Globes on the way to winning the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.
awards for American Beauty on AllMovie
American Beauty (1999)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Actress
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Cinematography
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Editing
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Original Score
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Original Screenplay
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1999 |
American Society of Cinematographers
|
Won |
Best Cinematography
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Outstanding Achievement Award
|
1999 |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Actress
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Cinematography
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Editing
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Film Music
|
1999 |
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Nominated |
Best Makeup and Hair
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Original Screenplay
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Production Design
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
|
1999 |
Broadcast Film Critics Association
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Original Screenplay
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1999 |
Chicago Film Critics Association
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Most Promising Actor
|
1999 |
Directors Guild of America
|
Won |
Best Director - Feature Film
|
1999 |
French Academy of Cinema
|
Nominated |
Best Foreign Film
|
2000 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Original Score
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
|
1999 |
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Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Picture - Drama
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
1999 |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
National Board of Review
|
Won |
Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1999 |
National Society of Film Critics
|
Won |
Best Cinematography
|
1999 |
Screen Actors Guild
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Female Actor in a Leading Role
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Performance by a Cast
|
1999 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor
|
1999 |
Toronto Film Critics Association
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Director [Runner-up]
|
1999 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay [Runner-up]
|
1999 |
Writers Guild of America
|
Won |
Best Original Screenplay
|
1999 |
