Directed by Sam Mendes, American Beauty became an immediate sensation when it was released in 1999, garnering numerous awards which included three Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Oscars (including a Best Actor Award for Spacey).  This modern masterpiece is an amusing but ultimately tragic critique of those who find that the American Dream is just that, nothing more than a pipe dream.

Kevin Spacey is cast as Lester Burnham, a beleaguered magazine advertising salesman who is going through an intense midlife crisis. His boss seems to be positioning him for the axe.  His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) is obsessed with outward appearances and is cheating on Lester with the local real estate baron.  Their teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is constantly depressed, struggles with low self esteem, and regards her father with contempt.

Lester reacts by making some drastic changes in his life.  He quits his job, smokes pot, and becomes infatuated with one of his daughter's friends, a beautiful cheerleader. It is his feelings for the girl that inspires Lester's emergence from his shell, while he begins a rebellion against the oppressive forces in his life.

Upon first reading the script for 'American Beauty', Kevin Spacey said, "I nearly fell out of bed. I thought I better meet him [the director] quick before someone else read it."