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American Beauty

Play trailer 2:53 Poster for American Beauty R 1999 2h 2m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 192 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Fed up with his boring, stagnant existence, he quits his job and decides to reinvent himself as a pot-smoking, responsibility-shirking teenager. What follows is at once cynical, hysterical, and, eventually, tragically uplifting.
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American Beauty

American Beauty

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Critics Consensus

Flawlessly cast and brimming with dark, acid wit, American Beauty is a smart, provocative high point of late '90s mainstream Hollywood film.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Clinton (CNN.com) CNN.com American Beauty is deeply disturbing, acerbically funny, brilliantly acted, breathtakingly original and highly sophisticated. Feb 22, 2015 Full Review Ann Hornaday Baltimore Sun A tightly coiled rage seethes beneath the pretty surface of American Beauty, a wickedly funny black comedy directed by newcomer Sam Mendes. Rated: 4/4 Feb 22, 2015 Full Review Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune This is Spacey's best performance since he took home an Oscar for The Usual Suspects. Feb 22, 2015 Full Review Nicolás Medina Peliplat In a world increasingly obsessed with appearance and superficiality, the film reminds us that the important thing was, and will be to look closer and find beauty in truth and authenticity. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 10/10 May 10, 2025 Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily With its clever and thought-provoking exploration of middle-class life, American Beauty continues to ignite conversations and debates, setting it apart from many other films Jun 14, 2023 Full Review Joanna Connors Cleveland Plain Dealer [It's] a movie that years from now will end up on the lists of greatest movies ever made. It's a complete original, at once hugely entertaining and deeply thoughtful, combining comedy, tragedy and philosophy in surprising and gratifying ways. Feb 4, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tyler G I know this movie was and is "a thing" in the cultural zeitgeist, but seeing it for the first time 25 years after it came out, it just didn't hit like that for me. The kids speak unlike any teenager I have ever heard. It is like an adult man wrote the script and has completely forgotten or never experienced what friends at that age act like. Maybe it was a victim of my high expectations because of how critics talk about this movie, but I thought it was very, very good, but not an all-timer. It is very original. I cannot say I have ever watched another movie quite like that. It was very funny at times, but every single character is deeply cynical to their core. Maybe this captured a late 90's moment, apparently it did, but this isn't for me. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/11/25 Full Review Harold C. Snappy writing, memorable performances, and a blend of dark humor with raw emotion make this a striking portrait of suburban life. The character dynamics are tightly woven, with every plotline influencing the next, and the dialogue rarely wastes a word. Backed by Conrad Hall’s expressive visuals and Thomas Newman’s hauntingly simple score, it’s a film that feels both timeless and distinctly of its era, balancing satire and sincerity in a way that still resonates. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/01/25 Full Review Craig H One of the best scripts and character development movies ive ever seen, the characters are all complex, fleshed out and interesting, the dialogue is believable, the human struggles are real and the bubbling under the surface resentment and frustration is there to see for each character and how they all interchange and mix in with eachothers story is so well done. The acting across the board is top notch, say whatever you want about Kevin Spacey but the man is one of the most natural actors ever. Can see why this is a classic, not 5/5 worthy but not far off either Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/02/25 Full Review Kevin P A high-school project of a script and directing to match that is trying far too hard to labour a point that America thinks it is great but wait, no it isn't. Sorry, rest of the world already knew this in spades. Can't flaw the acting of Kevin Spacey, who could only work with what he was given. A bit of a yawn. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/02/25 Full Review Jay W I hate all the characters in this film. There is an irony to the fact that movie talks about how "there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it." considering every character finds the most negative outlook in every situation they're in. Now I need to relax and try to stop holding on to all this rage. The music and acting are both fine. I just hate the characters and story. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/23/25 Full Review Gregory S This really is an incredible movie. There are a couple of things a take question over after watching it agian, a decade or so later. But, think that’s natural with the subject matter. Its a pretty great movie with incredible character development and also destruction. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/25 Full Review Read all reviews
American Beauty

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Fed up with his boring, stagnant existence, he quits his job and decides to reinvent himself as a pot-smoking, responsibility-shirking teenager. What follows is at once cynical, hysterical, and, eventually, tragically uplifting.
Director
Sam Mendes
Producer
Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
Screenwriter
Alan Ball
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG
Production Co
DreamWorks Pictures, Jinks/Cohen Company
Rating
R (Language|Drug Content|Strong Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$130.1M
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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