Introduction Director Sam Mendes' "American Beauty" brought in $130 million domestically, making it the 13th highest-grossing film of 1999. The screenplay has been written by Alan Ball and the movie's producers were Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks. The genre of this film can be categorized as drama/satire and does not strictly hold on to the traditional Hollywood structure. However, it uses the techniques of foreshadowing, has a before-and-after in the character development and strong symbolism. Story …showed first 75 words of 816 total…

…showed last 75 words of 816 total…American Beauty is a wonderfully composed film. Some critics say that the characters development is a little flat and could have been less stereotypical. But, isn't that the point of a satirical drama? Sources: American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. Perf. Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning. Dream Works, 1999. Barsam, Richard. Looking at Movies, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2004. "American Beauty." IMDb. 2004. 30. October. 2005. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169547/>