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American Beauty

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2:53

American Beauty

R

Released Oct 1, 1999

2h 2m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

193 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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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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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

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Rami A

"American Beauty" is a great character, psychological study film. It has great balance. When there's comedy, we laugh, when there is tragedy, we sympathize for the "fallen hero."

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/25

Full Review

Faiz D

"It's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world." American Beauty is a brilliant debut from director Sam Mendes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a nice movie. But I can't believe Spacey got oscar for this, lol

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Aiden C

Learn this in english it sucks, especially when my teacher analyses Lesters strokes probably the best moment, like what language techniques are in that

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/21/25

Full Review

Niko K

Flawless. Timeless but also a glimpse into the late 90s.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

matthew w

Rewatched again for the first time in years & it's safe to say this multi layered & insightful look into dysfunctional suburban America still packs a punch, Spacey steals the show as irrelevant & downtrodden Lester Burnham, who goes through a midlife crisis after losing his job & fantasizing over his daughter's high school friend. Special mention to Chris Cooper as Colonel Frank Fitts who has his own demons nearly steals the show.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

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Sam Mendes

Director

Kevin Spacey

Lester Burnham

Annette Bening

Carolyn Burnham

Thora Birch

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American Beauty: Trailer 1

2:53

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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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