American Beauty · written by Alan Ball · 1999

Lester admires his pumped arms, then discovers his marijuana is gone.

Scene 115 of 163 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Lester

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:16 into a 1:37 film

The story so farBefore scene 115

After becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter’s friend, a dissatisfied suburban father quits his job and pursues a more vivid life, unsettling his family and drawing him into the orbit of a troubled teenage neighbor.

Scenes 1–13
Lester is trapped in a suburban routine of corporate work and a marriage performed for appearances.
Scenes 14–31
Family estrangement and his attraction to Angela expose how urgently Lester wants to feel alive.
Scenes 32–75
Lester follows the desire into risky fantasy, exercise and open defiance of Carolyn.
Scenes 76–90
Lester quits and takes a fast-food job while Jane and Ricky begin connecting in parallel.
Scenes 91–102
Lester wins control of his daily life and openly rejects the family's old rules.
Just before
Scene 112
Carolyn pulls into the motel as storm clouds gather around her affair.
Scene 113
Buddy ends the affair over the cost of divorce; Carolyn slaps herself and screams in the car.
Scene 114
Buddy drives away while Carolyn's scream carries through the storm.
Scene 115
This scene

115INT. BURNHAM HOUSE - GARAGE - THAT NIGHT

It's RAINING outside. We HEAR ROCK MUSIC as Lester pumps iron. He puts the weights down and looks at his REFLECTION in the window:

His POV: His arms are pumped.

He smiles. He reaches under the bench and grabs a CIGAR BOX. Opening it, he digs through MARIJUANA PARAPHERNALIA, only to pull out an empty ZIP-LOC BAG.

LESTER

Shit.