American Beauty is a 1999 American black comedy and psychological drama film directed by Sam Mendes in his feature-film directorial debut, and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, an advertising executive who experiences a midlife crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter’s teenage best friend, played by Mena Suvari. Annette Bening stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane. Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, and Allison Janney co-star. Best Picture at the 72nd Academy Awards, March 26, 2000 — hosted by Billy Crystal at Shrine Auditorium. 46.33 million US viewers. Wiki link Wiki link Poster: TMDB (this product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB).