Editing Thora Birch (section)

===1999–2003: Transition to adult roles ===
Birch appeared in several projects in 1999: firstly, the made-for-television film ''[[Night Ride Home (film)|Night Ride Home]]'', where she played a teenager grieving the loss of her older brother. Writing for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', David Kronke called it "a thoughtful and sensitive examination of how a family copes with grief", and said of the performances, "[[Rebecca De Mornay|De Mornay]] … digs deep and comes up with a character that seems true; [[Ellen Burstyn|Burstyn]] and Birch competently complement [her]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/reviews/night-ride-home-1200456691/|first=David|last=Kronke|title=Night Ride Home|website=Variety|date=February 3, 1999|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> Next, she played the small, uncredited role of Mary in ''[[Anywhere but Here (film)|Anywhere but Here]]''.

Birch's portrayal of insecure teenager Jane Burnham in ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'', [[Sam Mendes]]' dark [[comedy drama|dramedy]] about the struggles of a middle class household, was roundly praised by critics,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9909/17/review.americanbeauty/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010531101331/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9909/17/review.americanbeauty/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 31, 2001|first=Paul|last=Clinton|title=Review: 'American Beauty' is just that|website=CNN|date=September 17, 1999|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-beauty-1999|first=Roger|last=Ebert|title=American Beauty|website=Variety|date=September 24, 1999|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> with [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' writing that she {{nobreak|"[glimmered]}} with grown-up radiance".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/american-beauty-19990915 |title=American Beauty |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=October 1, 1999 |access-date=January 12, 2017 |archive-date=December 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203023352/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/american-beauty-19990915 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The performance earned her a [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA]] nomination for [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role|Best Supporting Actress]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=American%20Beauty |title=BAFTA Awards Search &#124; BAFTA Awards |publisher=Awards.bafta.org |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> while the film was the recipient of the 1999 [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] and grossed over US$356 million worldwide,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2000 |title=2000 &#124; Oscars.org &#124; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |publisher=Oscars.org |date=March 26, 2000 |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americanbeauty.htm |title=American Beauty (1999) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> emerging as the biggest commercial success of Birch's career to date.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/person/14640401-Thora-Birch#tab=acting |title=Thora Birch - Box Office |publisher=The Numbers |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> She later said of the experience, "There was a lot of therapy involved … A lot of opening up and sharing things from our own lives about why we related to these characters. Everybody brought a lot of themselves to it. I know [[Annette Bening|Annette]] did a lot of research about women becoming obsessed with the self-help realm. [[Kevin Spacey|Kevin]] was working out obsessively and already in the headspace of [his character] Lester, even in rehearsals. And then there was [[Wes Bentley|Wes]], [[Mena Suvari|Mena]] and I, who were these kids just incredibly excited to be there and watching [these] masters at their craft — just trying to absorb as much as we could from them".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/thora-birch-asks-american-beauty-fans-see-past-kevin-spacey-1180386/|title=Thora Birch Asks 'American Beauty' Fans to See Past "Stain" of Kevin Spacey|first=Seth|last=Abramovitch|date=January 29, 2019|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=June 16, 2023}}</ref>

Following the success of ''American Beauty'', Birch appeared in two films released in 2000: low-budget drama ''[[The Smokers (film)|The Smokers]]'', in which Birch was called "a scene-stealer" by ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.imdb.com/news/ni0185908/ |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |title=Film review: 'Smokers' |date=20 March 2000}}</ref> and ''[[Dungeons & Dragons (2000 film)|Dungeons & Dragons]]'', a poorly-received adaptation of the fantasy [[Dungeons & Dragons|role-playing game of the same name]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dungeons_and_dragons|title=Dungeons & Dragons|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> British horror film ''[[The Hole (2001 film)|The Hole]]'' came next, where she starred as Elizabeth Dunn, a devious schoolgirl who lures her friends into an underground bunker. In a mixed review for ''Variety'', [[Derek Elley]] stated that Birch gave "an effectively creepy lead [performance]", but called the film "clunky" in its "attempt to merge the psychothriller and teen movie genres".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Derek |last=Elley |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/the-hole-3-1200467768/ |title=The Hole |magazine=Variety |date=2001-04-19 |access-date=2017-01-12}}</ref>

Birch's next project was the satirical 2001 comedy ''[[Ghost World (film)|Ghost World]]'', directed by [[Terry Zwigoff]]. Based on the [[Ghost World (comics)|graphic novel of the same name]], the film was released to an enthusiastic critical reception and developed a loyal cult following.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_world|title=Ghost World|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://uproxx.com/movies/thora-birch-uproxx-interview-ghost-world/|title= Thora Birch On The Cult Legacy Of 'Ghost World'|website=Uproxx|first=Brandon|last=Stroud|date=September 11, 2017|accessdate=June 16, 2023}}</ref><ref name=GhostWorldCult/> [[James Berardinelli]] found Birch's part to be her "first effectively developed role" since ''American Beauty'', commending the actress for the "quirkiness [and the] underlying sense of melancholy and ennui" in her portrayal of [[Ghost World (comics)#Enid Coleslaw|Enid Coleslaw]].<ref>{{cite web |first=James |last=Berardinelli |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/g/ghost_world.html |title=Ghost World &#124; Reelviews Movie Reviews |publisher=Reelviews.net |date=2001-08-03 |access-date=2017-01-12}}</ref> Meanwhile, A. O. Scott said in his appraisal for ''[[The New York Times]]'':

{{quote|Thora Birch, whose performance as Lester Burnham's alienated daughter was the best thing about ''American Beauty,'' plays a similar character here, with even more intelligence and restraint. Enid's capacity for scorn is unlimited: her plucked eyebrows might illustrate a dictionary entry for "supercilious," and her quiet voice shoots darts of sarcasm in every direction.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/20/movies/film-review-teenagers-sad-world-in-a-comic-dimension.html|title=FILM REVIEW; Teenagers' Sad World In a Comic Dimension|website=The New York Times|first=A.O.|last=Scott|date=July 20, 2001|accessdate=June 15, 2023}}</ref>}}

Birch received various accolades for ''Ghost World'',<ref name=IMDb/> including a nomination for the 2002 [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical|Golden Globe Award for Best Actress]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/02/10/the-contenders-14/ |title=The contenders |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=2002-02-10 |access-date=2013-07-03}}</ref>

In 2003, she appeared as the [[Liz Murray|title character]] in the biographical television film ''[[Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story]]'', starring as a young woman who, after becoming homeless at 15 amid personal tragedies, decides to finish her schooling. Birch's performance earned her a nomination for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress]] that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/thora-birch |title=Thora Birch Emmy Nominated |publisher=Emmys.com |access-date=2014-03-25}}</ref>