American Beauty

American Beauty (1999)

35 mistakes

(9 votes)

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Carolyn threatens to divorce Lester the bedclothes on the bed are halfway up, then down, then halfway up again. (00:45:28)

Continuity mistake: When Carolyn is outside waiting for her family to hop on the car, the position of her hand differs between the front and back shots.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: During the cheerleader routine, the passers-by behind them disappear/are not continuous between shots.

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When they are eating at the dinner table you can see that there is no rug, but later when Jane was looking out the window after the first time she was being video taped you can see that there is a rug under the table. (00:06:59)

Continuity mistake: When Lester is in Janey's room and he is looking through her phone numbers, when he gets to Angela's number it starts with 555 but when he dials it on the phone the first two numbers are a similar beep but the 3rd is a different tone. It looks as if he is hitting 553. (00:22:30)

Continuity mistake: Near the end of the film, Angela comments on Lester's shape. At this point, Lester is sitting on the counter with his arms stretched, supporting himself. But when Angela touches his arm, his elbow is bent. (01:32:57)

Audio problem: At the end of the scene when Carolyn cannot sell the house, she closes the blinds and then walks across a bare hardwood floor in heels...Do you hear any noise? I don't...it would have been very echo-y in that room with no furniture or carpeting! (00:13:40)

Continuity mistake: When Carolyn and Buddy are together at Mr. Smiley's drive-thru, Lester hears them at the order menu ordering, but when it cuts to Carolyn and Buddy in the car they are seen driving up to the order menu.

Timmy DeLong

Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the movie, after "mentalboy" has filmed Lester and Janey in the kitchen, Lester looks out the window. The kitchen is lit up, and it is very dark outside. This would naturally produce a reflection in the window, making looking outside impossible. There is no reflection. (00:10:00)

American Beauty mistake picture

Continuity mistake: In the first overhead shot of Lester in bed, just before his shower, his slippers are positioned in a V-shape, but in the next shot, from under the bed, has them parallel to the bed. (00:01:34)

Visible crew/equipment: After getting fired, Lester is driving to a fast food restaurant while smoking marijuana, and a motorcycle police escort can briefly be seen behind him. (00:56:00)

Visible crew/equipment: Camera equipment is visible in the scene where we first see the Real Estate King's vehicle at the motel. It is reflected near the license plate of the car.

manthabeat

Continuity mistake: When Lester is driving his Toyota after he quit his job, the plates on the car are different between the first shot (361813) and the second shot when he pulls in to the burger place (315502). (01:05:30)

Continuity mistake: When Carolyn calls Lester and Jane out whilst honking the horn, the shot changes from her to the house several times. Each time the shot is facing the house the side mirror is flapped in and while facing her it isn't. Additionally, in the same scene when Lester comes out, his briefcase opens and his cellphone falls out toward the car out of reach, when he picks it up again it's right next to him.

Lester: Janey, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go fuck himself and blackmailed him for almost $60,000. Please pass the asparagus.

More quotes from American Beauty

Trivia: The films enigmatic tagline "Look Closer" can be seen on a card or sticker at Lester's desk. (00:04:36)

More trivia for American Beauty

Question: I was just wondering if anyone knows what Jane and her father Lester were talking about in the first scene Ricky films them in the kitchen. You see their lips move but naturally since he's in a different house there are no words to accompy this. Maybe a lip reader could help?

Answer: I think they were talking about how Jane never tells Lester anything anymore. He says how they used to be pals and Jane starts to say something and then I think they see Ricky move outside.

More questions & answers from American Beauty

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