Mena Suvari,Thora Birch in American Beauty (1999)
Five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director and Actor, went to this lacerating, darkly funny look at family decay in contemporary suburbia. Kevin Spacey is a frustrated magazine editor whose midlife crises threaten his troubled marriage to real estate agent Annette Bening and lead him to an infatuation with teenage daughter Thora Birch's friend, cheerleader Mena Suvari. Director Sam Mendes and scripter Alan Ball's debut film work also stars Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper. 122 min.