Maps of Movies

American Beauty (1999)

Where American Beauty says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The unnamed American suburb is a Warner Bros. backlot street in Burbank, with houses rebuilt for sightlines, interiors in two other Los Angeles neighborhoods, and an aerial skyline of Sacramento

Scenes and places

The aerial view of the unnamed town (1999)

The film opens from above on a suburban grid, while Lester Burnham, a 42-year-old media executive who despises his job, introduces himself and his street in voice-over. He admits that in a way he is already dead inside.

Set in An unnamed American suburb — The upper middle-class suburb where the Burnhams live, never named in the film.

Filmed at Sacramento, California (aerial shots) (Sacramento, United States) — The aerial shots of the town were captured here, using the city as a stand-in for the Burnhams' unnamed suburb. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The Burnhams' house (1999)

Lester watches his wife Carolyn clip her prize roses in matching gardening clogs, and he says the marriage was once happy. Their only child, Jane, resents both parents, and the house is where the family keeps up an appearance of perfection.

Set in The Burnham house, Robin Hood Trail — The pristine, cool-blue family home of Lester, Carolyn and Jane Burnham in an unnamed suburb.

Blondie Street is a street on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank.

Filmed at Warner Bros. backlot, "Blondie Street", Burbank (Burnham house exterior) (Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, United States) — The exterior of the Burnham house is a rebuilt property on the studio's Blondie Street. The coordinates are the studio lot, not the street. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The Fitts house next door (1999)

Ricky Fitts moves in next door and films everything around him with a camcorder, finding beauty in unexpected places and things. His strict father, a retired Marine colonel, runs the house with discipline, and Ricky pays for his gear by dealing marijuana behind catering jobs.

Set in The Fitts house, next door — The drab, symmetrical home of Colonel Frank Fitts, his wife Barbara and their son Ricky, next to the Burnhams.

Filmed at Warner Bros. backlot, adjacent property on "Blondie Street", Burbank (Fitts house exterior) (Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, United States) — The exterior of the Fitts house is the property next to the Burnham house on the studio's Blondie Street. The coordinates are the studio lot, not the street. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at Hancock Park, Los Angeles (Fitts house interior) (Hancock Park, Los Angeles, United States) — The inside of the Fitts home was shot in a house in this neighborhood. The coordinates are the neighborhood centre, not the house. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The school basketball game (1999)

During a cheerleading routine at a school basketball game, Lester becomes infatuated with Jane's best friend Angela. He starts having sexual fantasies about her, in which red rose petals recur as a motif.

Set in Jane's high school gymnasium — The gym of the high school that Jane Burnham and Angela Hayes attend.

South High School is a public high school in Torrance, California.

Filmed at South High School, Torrance (South High School, Torrance, United States) — Many of the film's school scenes were shot here, and several extras in the gym crowd were South High students. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Lester's last day at the office (1999)

Lester quits his job after a meeting with his supervisor Brad and blackmails him into a generous severance package. He then takes a job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant.

Set in Lester's advertising magazine office — The office where Lester has worked for 14 years, in an unnamed city.

The Burnhams' dinner table (1999)

Lester has started working out, smoking marijuana and refusing to take orders. At dinner his wife and daughter watch him treat the family's rituals as a joke.

Set in The Burnhams' dining room — The Burnham family's dining room, where meals turn into arguments.

Filmed at House near Interstate 405 and Sunset Boulevard, Brentwood (Burnham house interior) (Brentwood, Los Angeles, United States) — The inside of the Burnhams' home was shot at a house near the 405 and Sunset Boulevard. The coordinates are the Brentwood neighborhood centre, not the house. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Carolyn and Buddy at the shooting range (1999)

Carolyn has begun an affair with married real estate king Buddy Kane. He takes her to a shooting range, where she fires a gun for the first time.

Set in A shooting range — A firing range, in an unnamed city, where Carolyn goes with her lover.

The drive-thru window (1999)

Working as a fry cook, Lester takes an order at the drive-through window from Carolyn and her lover Buddy. He learns of the affair, and Buddy, afraid of a costly divorce, ends it.

Set in Mr. Smiley's drive-thru — The drive-thru of a fast food restaurant called Mr. Smiley's, in an unnamed city.

The garage (1999)

Ricky's father Frank sees Lester and Ricky together and becomes suspicious of their friendship. Later Frank tentatively approaches Lester in the Burnhams' garage.

Set in The Burnhams' garage — The garage of the Burnham house, where Lester works out and meets Ricky.

Filmed at Warner Bros. backlot, Burnham garage, Burbank (Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, United States) — The garage and its windows were built on the backlot to line up with Ricky's bedroom window across the two houses. The coordinates are the studio lot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Characters

• Lester Burnham — A 42-year-old media executive in suburbia who despises his job and his stalled marriage.
• Carolyn Burnham — Lester's neurotic, status-obsessed wife, a real estate agent who wants a perfect all-American household.
• Jane Burnham — Their 16-year-old only child, who resents her parents.
• Ricky Fitts — The new neighbor's son, who films the world with a camcorder and deals marijuana behind catering jobs.