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Movies / On DVD / American Beauty
American Beauty
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American Beauty (1999)

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Reviews Counted:150

Fresh:133

Rotten:17

Average Rating:8/10

Consensus: Critics praise American Beauty for its wit and insight, as well as for its exceptional performances.

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Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content

Runtime: 2 hr.

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Theatrical Release: Sep 15, 1999 Wide

Synopsis: A biting, penetrating and often humorous take on contemporary life in suburban America, Lester Burnham becomes intrigued by a young girl named Angela,... A biting, penetrating and often humorous take on contemporary life in suburban America, Lester Burnham becomes intrigued by a young girl named Angela, and this fascination sparks him to make some major changes in his life. He relishes these changes, much to the exasperation of his wife Carolyn. [More]

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney, Scott Bakula, Sam Robards, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Amber Smith, Ara Celi, John Cho, Matthew Kimbrough, Sue Casey

Director: Sam Mendes

Director: Sam Mendes
Screenwriter: Alan Ball
Producer: Dan Jinks , Bruce Cohen
Studio: Dream Works

[See More Credits]

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REVIEWS FOR AMERICAN BEAUTY

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1 - 20 of 150 (sorted by date)
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The flaws that exist in American Beauty are effortlessly overcome by a cast that blossoms. Spacey in particular exhibits a rare wit and gravitas with Lester's weary frowns and cutting smirks, proving his mettle in this career peak performance.

Full Review Source: AskMen.com | comment Comment
Jun 7, 2010
Radheyan Simonpillai
Radheyan Simonpillai
AskMen.com

It's daring in that it sympathizes with a protagonist who's a pederast though its portrait of an American family on the brink of collapse is essentially a cartoon

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment 8 Comments
Jun 5, 2008
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

One of the most startling, brilliant pictures to come out of a major studio in many years.

Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
Feb 20, 2008
Film4

An elusive and allusive work of art that won't be pinned down easily.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
Jul 23, 2007
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Recently, Happiness and Election have taken pot shots at suburban morals and ethics, but none has hit so close to the bone and so on-target as American Beauty.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
Jul 14, 2007
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

It's like Norman Bates getting good advice from Mother.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment 5 Comments
May 23, 2007
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

As the latest mainstream movie symptom of our premillennial malaise, American Beauty is so brilliantly acted, written, directed and visualized that for all its despondency and despair, it is a lot of fun.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment 1 Comment
Apr 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An incisive if over-the-top take on familial dysfunction.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
Jan 4, 2007
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

Above all, "American Beauty" is about finding peace and a sense of wonder in the least likely of places, such as your inner torment or, failing that, perhaps a floating plastic bag.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
Aug 25, 2006
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Brit Sam Mendes makes an impressive directorial debut with a glossy, well-acted satire of the American burbs, a theatrically stylized meditation that combines the zeitgeist of 1950s Eisnehower with that of 1990s Clinton.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
Jul 29, 2006
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Dark, intelligent, scandalous, emotional, and truthful -- one of the year's best.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
May 26, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Director Mendes guides an artful path between desire and self-disgust, playing youth against experience, male against female.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
Feb 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

This is what movies are all about.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
Apr 9, 2005
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Complexity, say quite a few of my colleagues. Lies, I say.

Full Review Source: Nation | comment 7 Comments
Mar 3, 2005
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans
Nation

As the world changed in the past five years, so did the relevance of American Beauty.

Full Review | comment 2 Comments
Feb 16, 2005
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews

A stylish film about an American family that pretends to be moral and enlightened, but revels in its mean-spirited sarcasm and its championing of self-interest.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment 2 Comments
Dec 6, 2004
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Like Network in the 1970s and Ordinary People in the '80s, American Beauty is a scathing reflection of contemporary American life.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
Jun 22, 2004
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Spacey's style and delivery save the film time after time.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
Feb 8, 2003
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

Filled with moments of uncommon intelligence, sensitivity, truth and wit, American Beauty is an instant American classic.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
Jan 16, 2003
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

It is a great film and will definitely be regarded as one of the best films of the 90's ... right next to Titanic.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
Dec 8, 2002
Anthony Miele
Anthony Miele
Film Threat
 
 
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LATEST NEWS FOR AMERICAN BEAUTY

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May 29, 2008: Stuck Just the Latest Offbeat Choice for Suvari
With this Friday's Stuck, Mena Suvari adds another strange chapter to the decidedly un-Hollywood story she's written for herself since starring in American Beauty. More...

January 25, 2008: Sam Mendes Making With the Funny for Focus Features
He made his cinematic bones with dramatic films such as American Beauty and Road to Perdition, but director Sam Mendes wasn't born without a funny bone, and he's about to prove it. More...

October 26, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Fire" Blazes; "Scissors" Isn't Sharp Enough; "Saw III" Not Screened: Guess The Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got the return of Jigsaw ("Saw III," starring Tobin Bell), a tale of rebellion in apartheid-era South Africa ("Catch a Fire," starring Derek Luke and... More...

December 12, 2005: Paramount Buys Itself a Christmas Present: DreamWorks Pictures
Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DreamWorks SKG for $1.6 billion in cash and assumption of debt. The deal brings Paramount key assets, including... More...

June 30, 2005: With Domino Deceased, the Movie Moves On
Domino Harvey, daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, model-turned-bounty hunter, and subject of the upcoming Tony Scott thriller "Domino," has died at the age of 35, says The Hollywood... More...

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