American Beauty

My Rating: 4 Stars

Doing a similar post to my last one, and am taking an older movie, and casting it as if it were being made today.  I re-watched American Beauty the other night, and thought it would be interesting to re-cast for today.  American Beauty won all kinds of awards for acting, as well as many other awards.  The casting for it is practically perfect.  The story, if you haven't seen it, talks about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The script is amazing, and was a very important and different movie during the time it came out.  As I said earlier, the cast is pretty ideal, but here is how I would cast it, if I would cast it today. 

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The first character to cast would be for Lester Burnham.  Lester is the husband of the two main characters, and is emotionally/sexually frustrated in his marriage with his wife. When he sees one of his daughters female friends at a basketball game, he has fantasies about her and becomes obsessed with her.  He isn't taken serious by his wife and daughter, and he finally starts to stand up for himself.  He works out to impress his daughters friend, he starts smoking pot, and quits his job.  The role of Lester is played by the great Kevin Spacey.  I have chosen to go with Robert Downey Jr.  He would do well with a character that is sarcastic, and a little cynical.  

 
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The next character to cast would be for Lester's wife, Carolyn Burnham.  Carolyn tries to pull off the perfect housewife persona, and she tries to convince others that her family life is perfect. She is a realtor but is having a hard time at selling houses.  She is unaware that both her husband and her daughter hate her; or at least she pretends to not know.  She decides to start standing up for herself more as well, but also has an affair with a different man at the same time.  She is clueless to Lester's infatuation with their daughters friend.  The role of Carolyn is played by Annette Bening.  I have chosen to go with Marisa Tomei.  I think the chemistry between her and Robert Downey Jr. would work very well.

    
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Next to cast would be for the Burnham's daughter, Jane Burnham.  Jane is described perfectly in the movie as a typical teenage girl, who is confused and has typical teenage angst.  She doesn't like either of her parents, and is really put off by the fact that her dad is so obsessed with her friend.  She has one friend, but her friend doesn't really make her feel better about herself.  Jane is one of the few characters who has a happy ending when it all comes down to it.  The role of Jane is played by Thora Birch.  I have decided to go with Abigail Breslin.  Breslin is very much an up and coming actress, and she would play this troubled teen well.
 

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The next character to cast would be for the role of Angela Hayes, who is Jane's friend.  Angela brags of how she is going to be a model, and also brags about the amount of sex that she has.  She is pretty and she knows it, and definitely loves to have attention on her.  This is why she responds positively when Lester hits on her, which Jane is disgusted by.  Angela believes that you have to be pretty in order to be happy.  But in the end, Angela isn't all she is cracked up to be.  The role of Angela is played by Mena Suvari.  I have chosen to go with Katie Chang.  Chang was recently in The Bling Ring, and was very good.  It would be interesting to see her play the bitchy teen. 

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Next to cast would be for the role of Ricky Fitts.  Ricky comes from a very strict home, and is perceived as a little weird by everyone in his school.  He has a job, but it is a cover up because he actually sells marijuana as his main source of income.  Lester and Ricky become somewhat friends, but Ricky is more interested in Jane.  Jane and Ricky become romantically involved, but Angela judges her for it, because she thinks he is a lunatic.  Ricky plans to leave his corrupt home, and has a very estranged relationship with his dad.  The role of Ricky Fitts, is played by Wes Bentley.  I have chosen to go with Ezra Miller.  I saw Miller first in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and figured he would be perfect for this off-beat character.

 

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One last main character to cast, and that would be for the role of Colonel Fitts.  Colonel Fitts is ex-marine, and never fails to mention that when he introduces himself.  He plays off the masculine role well, and is not the sharpest tool in the shed.  He does not trust his son, and keeps his family on a very short leash.  As most characters in this movie, he has a secret he would rather not share either.  The role of Colonel Fitts is played by Chris Cooper.  I have chosen to go with Willem Dafoe.

     

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I hope you enjoyed who I would have picked to play the characters in the great American Beauty.  If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly suggest watching it.  It is very original, and the acting is terrific.  Thanks for reading my choices for American Beauty.