American Beauty

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2:53

American Beauty

R

1999

2h 2m

Comedy

Drama

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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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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

02/22/2015

American Beauty is deeply disturbing, acerbically funny, brilliantly acted, breathtakingly original and highly sophisticated.

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Ann Hornaday

Baltimore Sun

02/22/2015

4/4

A tightly coiled rage seethes beneath the pretty surface of American Beauty, a wickedly funny black comedy directed by newcomer Sam Mendes.

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

02/22/2015

This is Spacey's best performance since he took home an Oscar for The Usual Suspects.

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Nicolás Medina

Peliplat

May 10

10/10

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]

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/14/2023

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

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Joanna Connors

Cleveland Plain Dealer

02/04/2022

[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.

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Carolyn N

@PonySoldier 4d

One of my top 10 movies of all time -- as good today as it was when I saw it in the theater 25+ years ago.

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rex w

Dec 11

This used to be a great film, but it hasn't aged well. It is now seen as offensive and inappropriate. "American Beauty" is still a good film. But with the Epstein thing hanging over us, a film like this would be severely scrutinized.

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Zizo A

Nov 30

A film that touches on many topics that are controversial or close to home for some. American Beauty is depressing, dark, yet beautiful and revealing. Every character's identity crisis is played amazingly well, and the light it shines on suburban lifestyle is accurate and underrated.

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Anahera T

Nov 28

I think about this film all the time. A must-watch.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 17

I mean, like the audience score suggests, I liked the movie as well. I also understand why it's so controversial in todays times. It's a good one to watch.

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Tate B

@acommontate04 Nov 14

Film is an engrossing observation of a regular man becoming free. Slowly, several stories of the family members combine into the last night of Lester’s life, which all seem equally fitting and meaningful at their end. Some of the effects are outdated, but are only used as artistic flourishes. Annette Bening and Steve Lacy really knock it out of the park with their roles. The girls do okay. Scenes are equally powerful being funny, uncomfortable, suspenseful, and sexy… except for the fact that it’s a couple teenage girls.

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Sam Mendes

Director

Kevin Spacey

Lester Burnham

Annette Bening

Carolyn Burnham

Thora Birch

Jane Burnham

Wes Bentley

Ricky Fitts

Mena Suvari

Angela Hayes

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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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