It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.-- Sir Edmund Hillary
It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening are excellent in this drama, American Beauty. Lester Burnham is having a not-so-typical mid life crisis and decides to take control back of his life, no matter the cost.
: Jane. Honey. Are you trying to look unattractive?
: Yes.
: Well, congratulations. You've succeeded admirably.
: Both my wife and daughter think I'm this gigantic loser, and they're right. I have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't always feel this ... sedated. But you know what? It's never too late to get it back.
: Hey Les, You got a minute?
: For you, Brad? I've got five.
: Mom, do we always have to listen to this elevator music?
: No. No, we don't. As soon as you've prepared a nutrious yet savory meal that I'm about to eat, you can listen to whatever you like.
: I will sell this house today. I will sell this house today. I will sell this house today.
: The ad said this pool was "lagoon-like." There's nothing "lagoon-like" about it. Except for maybe the bugs.
: There's not even any plants out here.
: What do you call this? Is this not a plant? If you have a problem with the plants, I can always call my landscape architect. Solved.
: I mean, I think "lagoon," I think waterfall, I think tropical. This is a cement hole.
: I have some tiki torches in the garage.
: What makes you so sure she wants us to be there? Did she ask us to come?
: Of course not. She doesn't want us to know how important this is to her. But she's been practicing her steps for weeks.
: Well, I bet money she's going to resent it. And I'm missing the James Bond marathon on TNT.
: Lester, this is important. I'm sensing a real distance growing between you and Jane.
: Growing? She hates me.
: She's just willfull.
: She hates you too.
: Hi. My name's Ricky. I just moved next door to you.
: I know. I kinda remember this really creepy incident when you were filming me last night?
: I didn't mean to scare you. I just think you're interesting.
: Thanks, but I really don't need to have some psycho obsessing about me right now.
: I'm not obsessing. I'm just curious.
: My husband Lester --
: It's a pleasure.
: Oh, we've met before, acutally. This thing last year. Or the Christmas thing at the Sheraton.
: Oh yes.
: It's okay. I wouldn't rememberme either.
: You know I don't like locked doors in my house, boy.
: I'm sorry, I must have locked it by accident. So what's up?
: I need a urine sample.
: Wow. It's been six months already. Can I give it to you in the morning? I just took a whiz.
: Yeah, I suppose.
: It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself. Makes you wonder what eelse you can do that you've forgotten about.
: It's my philosophy that in order to be successful, one must project an image of success, at all times.
: That was exactly what I needed. The royal treatement, so to speak.
: Know what I do when I feel like that?
: What?
: I fire a gun.
: Have you ever known anybody who died?
: No. Have you?
: No, but I did see this homeless woman who froze to death once. Just laying there on the sidewalk. She looked really sad. I got that homeless woman on video.
: Why would you film that?
: Because it was amazing.
: What was amazing about it?
: When you see something like that, it's like God is looking right at you, just for a second. And if you're careful, you can look right back.
: And what do you see?
: Beauty.
: Look, Mom, I don't feel like having a Kodak moment here, okay?
: Ah, whose car is that out front?
: Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I always wanted and now I have it. I rule!
: Lester, you're going to spill beer on the couch.
: So what? It's just a couch.
: This is a four thousand dollar sofa upholstered in Italian silk. This is not "just a couch."
: It's just a couch! This isn't life. This is just stuff. And it's become more important to you than living. Well, honey, that's just nuts.
: Remember those posters that said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life?" Well, that's true of every day except one - the day you die.
: I always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time.
: I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me but it's hard to say mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupd little life. You have no idea what I am talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry. You will someday.
: My daughter Jane. Only child. Janie's a pretty typical teenager. Angry, insecure, confused. I wish I could tell her that's all going to pass but I don't want to lie to her.
