The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: American Beauty

written by Alan Ball


American Beauty, the darling of the 1999 Oscars, is a dark comedy about a man in a mid-life crisis and the suburban life in which he is stuck.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (2 min.)
    • The narrator/protagonist tells us he will be dead in less than a year. His daughter previously said she wanted her boyfriend to kill him.
  2. Complication (5-8 min.)
    • Lester (protagonist) is told his job is in jeopardy.
  3. Call to Action (15 min.)
    • Lester starts fantasizing about Angela, one of his daughter's friends, and imagines a life different from his own boring one.
  4. Act One Plot Point (31-3 min.)
    • Lester smokes pot with a neighbor boy and starts working out, deciding to make a move on Angela. A new life.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (51-3 min.)
    • Lester loses his job but feels liberated.
  6. Act Two Plot Point (111 min.)
    • Angela is a virgin, so Lester doesn't seduce her. He is shot and killed.
  7. Climax and Resolution (111-6 min.)
    • The neighbor son's father pulled the trigger on Lester. But he died happy.

Notes

The didactic narrator irritates me a little, especially at the end, but otherwise this is a funny, dark and original look at suburban life.


MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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12/01