+ List of accolades received by American BeautyAlan Ball, whose screenplay was the focus of many of the awards wins and nominations Award wins & nominations Award Won NominatedAcademy AwardsAmanda AwardsAmerican Cinema EditorsAmerican Comedy AwardsASC AwardsArt Directors Guild AwardsAustralian Film Institute AwardsAwards of the Japanese AcademyBelgian Syndicate of Cinema CriticsBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsBMI Film & Television AwardsBlockbuster Entertainment AwardsBodil AwardsBogey AwardsBrit AwardsBritish Society of Cinematographers AwardsBroadcast Film CriticsCasting Society of America AwardCésar AwardChicago Film Critics AssociationCinema Audio Society AwardsCostume Designers Guild AwardsCzech Lion AwardDallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association AwardDavid di Donatello AwardsDirectors Guild of America AwardsEmpire AwardsEuropean Film AwardsFilm Critics Circle of Australia AwardsFlorida Film Critics Circle Award Golden Globe AwardsGolden Screen AwardGrammy Awards Guldbagge AwardsHollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild AwardsInternational Monitor AwardsItalian National Syndicate of Film Journalists AwardsKansas City Film Critics CircleKinema Junpo AwardsLas Vegas Film Critics SocietyLondon Film Critics' Circle AwardsLos Angeles Film CriticsLumière AwardsMotion Picture Sound EditorsMTV Movie AwardsNational Board of ReviewNational Society of Film Critics AwardsOnline Film Critics SocietyPeople's Choice AwardsPGA AwardsPublicists Guild of America AwardsRobert AwardRussian Guild of Film Critics AwardsSan Diego Film Critics SocietySatellite AwardsScreen Actors Guild AwardsSoutheastern Film Critics AssociationTeen Choice AwardsToronto Film Critics Association AwardsWriters Guild of America AwardsYoung Artist AwardYoung Hollywood Artist AwardsYoungStar AwardsTotal number of wins and nominations Footnotes
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. The film stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. Released in North America on September 15, 1999, American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences alike; it was the best-reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $350 million worldwide. Reviewers praised all aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes, Spacey and Ball; criticism tended to focus on the familiarity of the characters and setting. At the 1999 Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography (for Conrad Hall). The film was nominated for and won numerous other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing, and acting.
DreamWorks launched a major campaign to promote the film five weeks before the ballots for the Academy Awards were due. Its campaign combined traditional advertising and publicity with more focused strategies to reach 5,600 Academy voters. Although direct mail campaigning was prohibited, DreamWorks reached voters by promoting the film in "casual, comfortable settings" in voters' communities. The studio's candidate for the Academy Award for Best Picture the previous year, Saving Private Ryan, lost to Shakespeare in Love, so the studio took a new approach by hiring outsiders to provide input for the campaign. Nancy Willen encouraged DreamWorks to produce a special about the making of American Beauty, to set up displays of the film in the communities' bookstores, and to arrange a question-and-answer session with Mendes for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Dale Olson, who led the film's campaign, advised the studio to not limit its marketing to major newspapers, but to also advertise in free publications that circulated in Beverly Hills, home to many voters. Olson arranged to screen American Beauty to about 1,000 members of the Actors Fund of America, as many participating actors were also voters. (Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times.)
American Beautys closest contender for Best Picture was seen as The Cider House Rules from Miramax. Both studios mounted aggressive campaigns; in the weeks leading up the ceremony, DreamWorks bought 38% more advertising space in Variety than Miramax. In 2000, the Publicists Guild of America recognized DreamWorks for the best film publicity campaign. In September 2008, Empire named American Beauty the 96th "Greatest Movie of All Time" after a poll of 10,000 readers, 150 filmmakers and 50 film critics. The film's award success was seen as vindication for DreamWorks, a studio which had only formed six years previously—to industry skepticism.Lyman, Rick (March 28, 2000). "Oscar Victory Finally Lifts The Cloud for DreamWorks". The New York Times.
Selected awards and nominations Award Category Name Outcome72nd Academy AwardsBest PictureBruce Cohen and Dan JinksBest DirectorSam MendesBest ActorKevin SpaceyBest ActressAnnette BeningBest Original ScreenplayAlan BallBest CinematographyConrad HallBest Film EditingTariq Anwar and Christopher GreenburyBest Original ScoreThomas NewmanAmerican Cinema EditorsBest Edited Feature Film – DramaticTariq Anwar, Christopher Greenbury American Comedy AwardsFunniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)Annette BeningFunniest Motion PictureFunniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)Kevin SpaceyAmerican Society of CinematographersOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical ReleasesConrad HallArt Directors GuildExcellence in Production Design Award for Feature FilmNaomi Shohan, David Lazan, Catherine SmithAustralian Film InstituteBest Foreign FilmBruce Cohen, Dan JinksAwards of the Japanese AcademyBest Foreign FilmBelgian Syndicate of Cinema CriticsGrand Prix53rd British Academy Film AwardsBest FilmBruce Cohen, Dan JinksBest Actor in a Leading RoleKevin SpaceyBest Actress in a Leading RoleAnnette BeningBest EditingTariq Anwar, Christopher GreenburyBest CinematographyConrad HallAnthony Asquith Award (Best Film Music)Thomas NewmanDavid Lean AwardSam MendesBest Screenplay – OriginalAlan BallBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleWes BentleyBest Performance by an Actress in a Supporting RoleThora BirchBest Performance by an Actress in a Supporting RoleMena SuvariBest SoundScott Martin Gershin, Scott Millan, Bob Beemer, Richard Van DykeBest Production DesignNaomi ShohanBest Make Up/HairTania McComas, Carol A. O'ConnellBMI Film & TV AwardsBMI Film MusicThomas NewmanBlockbuster Entertainment AwardsFavorite Actress – DramaAnnette BeningFavorite Supporting Actor – DramaWes BentleyFavorite Supporting Actress – DramaThora Birch Favorite Actor – DramaKevin Spacey Favorite Actress – Newcomer (Internet Only)Mena Suvari Brit Awards Soundtrack/Cast Recording Bodil AwardsBest American FilmSam MendesBritish Society of CinematographersBest CinematographyConrad HallDirectors Guild of AmericaOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion PicturesSam MendesChicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActorKevin SpaceyBest Director Sam Mendes Best PictureBruce Cohen, Dan JinksMost Promising ActorWes BentleyBest ActressAnnette BeningBest CinematographyConrad L. HallBest ScreenplayAlan BallCinema Audio SocietyOutstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature FilmScott Millan, Bob Beemer, Richard Van Dyke 57th Golden Globe AwardsBest Motion Picture – DramaBruce Cohen and Dan JinksBest DirectorSam MendesBest ScreenplayAlan BallBest Actress – DramaAnnette BeningBest Actor – DramaKevin SpaceyBest Original ScoreThomas NewmanNational Board of ReviewBest PictureBreakthrough Performance – MaleWes BentleyScreen Actors Guild AwardBest ActorKevin SpaceyBest ActressAnnette BeningBest Supporting ActorChris CooperBest EnsembleKevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper, Allison Janney, Peter Gallagher AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in." – Nominated.
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