Don't placate me like I'm your mother, boy.
Excuse me for speaking so bluntly sir. But those **** make me want to puke my **** guts out.
Lester Burnham
Kevin Spacey · 44 quotes
Buddy King
29 quotes
Ricky Fitts
Wes Bentley · 24 quotes
Jane Burnham
Thora Birch · 22 quotes
Angela Hayes
Mena Suvari · 18 quotes
Carolyn Burnham
Annette Bening · 18 quotes
Colonel Frank Fitts
Chris Cooper · 4 quotes
Most scenes together: Lester Burnham & Buddy King (13), Ricky Fitts & Buddy King (11), Jane Burnham & Buddy King (10)
American Beauty quotes
Page 2 of 7Where's your wife?
Uh, I dunno. Probably out **** that dorky, prince-of-real-estate asshole. And you know what? I don't care.
Your wife is with another man and you don't care?
Nope. Our marriage is just for show. A commercial for how normal we are when we're anything but.
[Driving with Ricky, referring to neighbours Jim and Jim jogging by]
How come these ****s always have to rub it in your face? How can they be so shameless?
That's the whole thing, Dad. They don't feel like it's anything to be ashamed of.
Yeah, you're right.
Don't placate me like I'm your mother, boy.
[Sighs, then glances at father]
Forgive me, sir, for speaking so bluntly but those **** make me want to puke my **** guts out.
I think it's sweet. And I think he and your mother have not had sex in a long time.
You'd rather he had the crush on you?
No! But it would be nice if I was anywhere near as important to him as she is...
Do you want me to kill him?
Yeah, would you?
I don't think we can be friends anymore.
You're way too uptight about sex.
Just don't **** my dad, all right? Please?
Why not?
Janes
[Eating at table with parents listening to Bali Ha'i]
Mom, do we always have to listen to this elevator music?
No. No, we don't. As soon as you've prepared a nutritious yet savory meal that I'm about to eat, you can listen to whatever you like.
Jane
[Suspiciously]
It was okay.
Just okay?
Jane
No, Dad. It was spec... tac... ular.
[Pause]
Well, you want to know how things went at my job today? Now she looks at him as if he's lost his mind. They've hired this efficiency expert, this really friendly guy named Brad, how perfect is that? And he's basically there to make it seem like they're justified in firing somebody, because they couldn't just come right out and say that, could they? No, no, that would be too... honest. And so they've asked us-- [referring to Jane's mockingly indifferent face] you couldn't possibly care any less, could you?
Jane
Well, what do you expect? You can't all of a sudden be my best friend, just because you had a bad day. [Gets up from table and walks to kitchen] I mean, hello. You've barely even spoken to me for months.
What?! [Lester silently stares down] WHAT?!
[Driving to a high school basketball game to watch Jane's dance team performance]
Well 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'll bet money she's going to resent it, and I'm missing the James Bond marathon on TNT.
Lester, this is important. Now, I'm sensing a real distance growing between you and Jane.
"Growing?" She hates me.
She's just willful.
She hates you too.
How's Jane?
What do you mean?
I mean, how's her life? Is she happy? Is she miserable? I'd really like to know, and she'd die before she'd ever tell me about it.
She's... she's really happy. She thinks she's in love.
Good for her.
How are you?
God, it's been a long time since anybody asked me that... I'm great.
I've gotta go to the bathroom.
I'm great.
So Janie, how was school?
It was okay.
Just okay?
When I was your age, I flipped burgers all summer just to be able to buy an eight-track.
That sucks.
No, actually it was great. All I did was party and get laid. I had my whole life ahead of me.
You don't think it's kinda weird & fascist?
Possibly, but you don't want to be unemployed.
Oh well, alright, let's all sell our souls and work for Satan because it's more convenient that way.
Mr. Smiley's Manager
I don't think you'd fit in here.
I have fast food experience.
Mr. Smiley's Manager
Yeah, like twenty years ago!
Well, I'm sure there have been amazing technological advances in the industry, but surely you must have some sort of training program. It seems unfair to presume I won't be able to learn.
I was filming this dead bird.
Why?
Because it's beautiful.