American Beauty (1999) Rank 3 Reviews

cinEncanto (Pablo del Moral)

Creo que Kevin Spacey es uno de los actores mÃ¡s complejos que trabajan en la actualidad en el cine hollywoodense. Con esto no sÃ³lo quiero decir que es un actor brillante, sino que su personalidad, su carisma, evoca niveles de complejidad en sus ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at cinEncanto (Pablo del Moral)

Fotograma.com

Con el impacto de "American Beauty", nos surge la dudad de si la sociedad norteamericana es o se hace. No por favor! Como va a decir esa barbaridad? No, no me refiero a la pelÃcula en sÃ, sino a la fascinaciÃ³n que ha sentido la prensa y el ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Fotograma.com

ShowBIZ Data

Dreamworks Pictures; A Jinks/Cohen Production; Producers, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks; Written by Alan Ball; Directed by Sam Mendes Opens September 15, 1999 Mercilessly wicked in its view of modern suburban America, American Beauty is a surprisingly quirky ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at ShowBIZ Data

Natural Born Viewers ("Geeky Marcus")

Meet Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), the model family man with a caring wife and a loving daughter. At least that's what we think he is. In reality, he has just been sacked, and is planning to shag his daughter's best friend. His wife Carolyn (Annette ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Natural Born Viewers ("Geeky Marcus")

Video Reviews with Joan Ellis

With the quiet confidence of a winner, American Beauty snuck quietly into theaters and stunned opening-night audiences with its power. In expert hands, the film takes risks that allow it to succeed as a profound examination of the loss of self. Fifty ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Video Reviews with Joan Ellis

Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

disciple asked the master if there could be anything more wonderful than the beauty of creation. For a long time, the master was silent, then he responded, "Yes, indeed there is." "What can this possibly be?" asked the disciple. The master answered: ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Miradas desde el Sur (Leonel Delgado Aburto)

De vez en cuando una pelÃcula de sobrios planteamientos, que no eluden la influencia del serial televisivo, hace que Hollywood demuestre lo "liberal" que puede ser. Hace dos aÃ±os As good as it gets recomponÃa en tono de comedia el sueÃ±o americano de ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Miradas desde el Sur (Leonel Delgado Aburto)

Insights (sieteocho)

Now there are some movies that are worth watching even after youï¿½ve read the spoilers, and there are some movies which are somewhat lessened when youï¿½ve read the spoilers. For the latter category, there are shows with surprise twist endings, like ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Insights (sieteocho)

artechock (Ruediger Suchsland)

Filme sind nur eine andere Form von TagtrÃ¤umen. Mit ihnen betreten wir die Reiche der eigenen Phantasie, AbgrÃ¼nde der Angst und GlÃ¼ckverheiÃ�ungen, geheim und doch wohlbekannt. Beide genieÃ�en wir, beide fÃ¼rchten wir. Meistens gleichzeitig, denn so ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at artechock (Ruediger Suchsland)

Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)

am Mendes's slick and smooth American Beauty doesn't age well. It's daring in that it sympathizes with a protagonist who's a pederast though its portrait of an American family in chaos is far from ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)

Scott Renshaw

This, first and most important: Kevin Spacey is brilliant. That's not exactly news, since Spacey has been brilliant on a regular basis for several years, but in AMERICAN BEAUTY he burns himself into an incredibly difficult role. There is a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Scott Renshaw

The Nation (Stuart Klawans)

To the list of movie characters who look back on their lives from the Beyond, add Lester Burnham, the 42-year-old, dead narrator of American Beauty. He is a murder victim--so it would seem, to judge from the very broad hints in the opening scene--done in ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Nation (Stuart Klawans)

Harvey S. Karten

Leo Tolstoy told us that happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. While 90% of us get married, confident that we will be in the former category, statistics prove otherwise. What's unfortunate in that regard is ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Harvey S. Karten

Philadelphia City Paper (Cindy Fuchs)

Itâ��s a tricky business to leave American Beauty feeling all right, but the film works very hard to make that possible, despite its dismal representation of suburban living. Scripted by first-time screenwriter Alan Ball (who used to write for Cybill and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Philadelphia City Paper (Cindy Fuchs)

DVD Net (Anthony Horan)

While once-great studios obsess over remakes of old films, reworkings of TV shows and the legendarily indefinable â��star power,â�� while entertainment new magazines and TV shows descend rapidly into a pit of utter tackiness and snide gossip, while giant ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Net (Anthony Horan)

Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is dead at the beginning of "American Beauty." He tells us so, apparently speaking in voice-over from some unspecific Great ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Salon (Andrew O'Hehir)

The Boston Phoenix

Nothing beats death for establishing a detached, omniscient point of view, and from the very beginning of Sam Mendes's haunting and accomplished debut feature (and one of the year's first significant films), it's made clear that its hero, middle-aged, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Boston Phoenix

The Phantom Tollbooth

What you think of the American emotional and social landscape is largely a product of your own sphere of experience. Around us, in every town grand or humble, there are quiet folk living desperate lives, pinned down by their expectations and exiled from ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Phantom Tollbooth

Critic Doctor (Herb Kane)

"American Beauty comes with an aura of dazzlingly positive reviews - which, I presume, simply reflects the film critics' thirst for something original, irrespective of quality," writes online movie critic, Vladimir Zelevinsky. If you add together all the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Critic Doctor (Herb Kane)

Katy Lindemann

Spacey revels in the lead role of Lester Burnham, an everyman of sterile middle-class suburbia, dissatisfied with the current malaise of his life, who experiences an epiphany after catching sight of a nubile young friend of his daughter's, and sets out ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Katy Lindemann

The Squiz: Cine Philes ("Guido Mezzabotta")

"American Beauty" is a very American film. Perhaps, the most important American film to come around in a long time. It premiered in Los Angeles a few weeks' back to rave reviews. Most of these reviews contained words such as "kinky,' "off beat,' ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Squiz: Cine Philes ("Guido Mezzabotta")

Joy Wyse

The catch phrase for American Beauty is `When you've got nothing to lose, you might as well risk everything. At first glance Lester Burnham (Spacey) appears to have everything to lose. His is the typical suburban life, with a lovely home, wife, daughter, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Joy Wyse

New York Times (Janet Maslin)

Kevin Spacey in his wittiest and most agile screen performance yet. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at New York Times (Janet Maslin)

Scott Renshaw's Screening Room (Scott Renshaw)

Simultaneously gripping and frustrating, American Beauty is the best film of the year that irritated the hell out of me. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Scott Renshaw's Screening Room (Scott Renshaw)

Washington Post (Desson Thomson)

Hilarious, painful and brutally frank. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)

Netflix (James Rocchi)

There's so much right -- and so much wrong -- with this lauded, scathing look at suburban discontent. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Netflix (James Rocchi)

Jam! Movies (Randall King)

Peers between the white picket fenceposts of suburbia to reveal emotional toxicity and unexpected grace. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Jam! Movies (Randall King)

Jerry Saravia

Watching Sam Mendes's "American Beauty" is like taking a roller coaster tour through suburbia - gleeful yet observant that something awry may be happening in each house of each neighborhood. "American Beauty" is the latest 90's view of dysfunctional ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Jerry Saravia

David Sunga

The only person who seems able to appreciate beauty and freedom and life is the person most deprived of it: a dopedealing teen from across the street who is practically imprisoned by a domineering, bullying father. When Lester embarks on a mad scramble ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at David Sunga

Susan Granger

There have been plenty of other movies about the shallow values of suburbanites, but few have been as consistently -- and bitterly -- funny as "American Beauty," a fairly astonishing debut film from British stage director Sam Mendes. In the same way ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Susan Granger

George Wu

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is in a loveless marriage, has a daughter who hates him, and is on the verge of being fired from his job. His id is reawakened however when he encounters and obsesses over Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), a pretty blond who is ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at George Wu

James Sanford

There have been plenty of other movies about the shallow values of suburbanites, but few have been as consistently -- and bitterly -- funny as "American Beauty," a fairly astonishing debut film from British stage director Sam Mendes. In the same way ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at James Sanford

Pat Canavan

It's the tenth month of the year, and one has to be wondering when a film worthy to be nominated for best picture will be released. It wasn't like this last year, when "Saving Private Ryan" had been released in the summer, and set the standard for the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Pat Canavan

MoviePhan2

There have been plenty of other movies about the shallow values of suburbanites, but few have been as consistently -- and bitterly -- funny as "American Beauty," a fairly astonishing debut film from British stage director Sam Mendes. In the same way ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at MoviePhan2

Michael Dequina

Leo Tolstoy told us that happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. While 90% of us get married, confident that we will be in the former category, statistics prove otherwise. What's unfortunate in that regard is ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Michael Dequina

LeisureSuit.net

You're going to be hearing a lot more about the new DreamWorks release American Beauty. Many critics will be calling it a masterpiece, and at the very least you'll be seeing Kevin Spacey getting a nomination (and quite possibly a win) when Oscar time ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at LeisureSuit.net

Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)

Unsettling, unnerving, undefinable, "American Beauty" avoids quick and easy categorization. A quirky and disturbing take on modern American life energized by bravura performances from Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, "Beauty" is a blood-chilling dark ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)

Alex Ioshpe

American Beauty' is one of those films that leave a huge emotional impact that remains for days after you have seen it. Seldom have I seen such marvelous characters, each somehow representing an important puzzle piece of our modern society. And it is not ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Alex Ioshpe

F.LM - Texte zum Film

Ein sÃ¼Ã�es all-american-blond MÃ¤dchen rÃ¤kelt sich in einem Meer von roten RosenblÃ¤ttern - suggestives Rot, aufregendes, heiÃ�es Rot, ein Rot, dass an Herz und Blut erinnert und kombiniert mit weiÃ�er (unbefleckter) Haut Reinheit und SÃ¼nde ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at F.LM - Texte zum Film

Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)

Starting sometime in the sixties, probably under the influence of the great European and Japanese filmmakers, American film writers and directors began making films that needed a whole new kind of acting, a kind that depended on what you might call the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)

MovieMusings.com (Ken Rosenberg)

In American Beauty, middle-aged suburbanite Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) suddenly realizes that the conventional values and trappings of middle class life to which he has unquestioningly devoted himself are simply a crock. Lester lets his inner child ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at MovieMusings.com (Ken Rosenberg)

Kino (Alessandro Bencivenni)

Siamo tutti abituati a ragionare per categorie, a collocare mentalmente un film in un filone, a farne l'epigono o il precursore di altri film. CiÃ² ci rende impreparati alle vere novitÃ . Ma Ã¨ davvero difficile classificare in maniera tradizionale ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Kino (Alessandro Bencivenni)

Houston Chronicle

"Stunning" hardly begins to convey the effect of American Beauty, the film debut of British theater director Sam Mendes. In search of comparison, we're sent back as far as director Mike Nichols' first two films, The Graduate and Who's Afraid of Virginia ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Houston Chronicle

txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)

Aside from a hearty helping of Lust, American Beauty mostly steers clears of the deadly sins. What we see are a laundry list of tacky little suburban sins. Stalking the Cute Neighbor with a Video Camera. Trading in the Camry without Asking the Wife. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)

Light Views, Reviews & Previews (John Larsen)

It wasn't love at first sight. It was lust. When he first saw her, she was more than the nubile 17 year-old best friend of his daughter. She was a goddess, capable of stopping time so that a moment with her would seem like eternity. Her lips were full ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Light Views, Reviews & Previews (John Larsen)

Village Voice (J. Hoberman)

Talkin' 'bout that generation, September brings two richly metaphoric songs of male Boomer pathos: the midlife-crisis dark comedy American Beauty, and the sanctimonious baseball-veteran weepie, For Love of the Game. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)

Mac VerStandig

With the quiet confidence of a winner, American Beauty snuck quietly into theaters and stunned opening-night audiences with its power. In expert hands, the film takes risks that allow it to succeed as a profound examination of the loss of self. Fifty ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mac VerStandig

The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)

What do you get when you team a first time screen director (a couple of Broadway hits under his belt) and a first time big screen writer (a couple of TV sitcoms)? Usually Cranky gets a massive headache. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)

David N. Butterworth

And, as Spacey's narration informs us at the beginning of the film, he's not going to make it to 43 either.That admission sets the scene for "American Beauty," a dark and disturbing black comedy with an almost painful emphasis on the black part. It's a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at David N. Butterworth

Michael Redman

Call it middle-age crisis or spiritual awakening, suddenly there is a realization that they've been the walking undead for a l-o-o-o-n-g time and they want to do something about it. For women it's often triggered by the biological alarm clock ringing or ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Michael Redman

The Flick Filosopher's second look

Was American Beauty the single best film of 1999? I can't decide. The second time I watched the film, on a widescreen video screener after it won the Oscar for Best Picture, I thought with horror: I named this sitcom one of my best films of the year? On ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Flick Filosopher's second look

A Hollywood Jesus Visual Film Review

Television writer Alan Ball's first produced screenplay introduces us to the chaotic world found on the tree-lined street of Robin Hood Trail, Anytown, U.S.A. Provoked by forbidden passions, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) decides to make a few changes in ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at A Hollywood Jesus Visual Film Review

LowComDom Online Film Reviews

Excuse me? This piece of crap got what awards? Best Picture? Best picture of what? Seriously, this is a film about people bickering at each other in every scene. You can watch that on afternoon TV for free everyday. What do we want to go to the cinema to ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at LowComDom Online Film Reviews

Megaklik - no nonsense movie reviews in Slovenian

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) je 42-letni moÅ¾ in oÄ�e v tipiÄ�ni ameriÅ¡ki druÅ¾ini srednjega razreda. Njegova Å¾ena Carolyn (Annette Bening) je perfekcionistka, ki se Å¾re zaradi svojih poslovnih neuspehov, hÄ�erka Jane (Thora Birch) pa ga popolnoma ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Megaklik - no nonsense movie reviews in Slovenian

Movie-Page.com review

There's something classic about the word "American" when it's used in a title. It's appeared in the names of films, fiction, music and many more genres, and gains a certain amount of dignity perhaps from the nomenclature of history: wars and political ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie-Page.com review

Movie-Page.com review

One mans struggle to find inner-peace in a jaded, socio-political world seems to be the subject that screenwriter Alan Ball tackles in 'American Beauty'. Ironically, this is a film that encompasses more than just one man. The 'American Beauty' itself is ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie-Page.com review

MoviesMatter.com

This film presents the powerful and moving true story of the tragic crash of the Marshall University football team plane in November, 1970 and the heroic efforts to rebuild the Marshall football program that followed it. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at MoviesMatter.com

Mr. Cranky

Somebody please tell director Sam Mendes that a man going through a mid-life crisis is hardly an original idea. Toss in a little "Lolita" and a bit of "War of the Roses", and suddenly somebody thinks "American Beauty" has all the makings of an original ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mr. Cranky

Moviola (Jorge Avila Andrade)

Belleza Americana es el espejo de una sociedad que ha querido vivir engañada durante décadas y que ahora comienza a despertar a la realidad ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Moviola (Jorge Avila Andrade)

Film Written Magazine (Jaime N. Christley)

A wonderful film. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Written Magazine (Jaime N. Christley)

Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)

This is definitely a knife-to-the-heart movie -- the kind whose potent effect is easy to feel yet hard to describe. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Globe and Mail (Rick Groen)

Film Written Magazine (Andrew Howe)

A film which turns the microscope on the human condition in all its ragged glory. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Written Magazine (Andrew Howe)

Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)

It's a black comedy that's supposed to be about the hollowness of the American dream, but in fact ... it reveals the moral and intellectual bankruptsy of Hollywood. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)

DVD Verdict

American Beauty. 1999 Academy Awards. Nominated eight times. Winner of five. Best Picture. Best Actor. Best Director. Best Screenplay. Best Cinematography. Also swept the British version of the Oscars, the Bafta awards. Not to mention a slew of others. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Verdict

DVDTown (John J. Puccio)

Doesn't it help restore your confidence in the movie industry when an unassuming little film comes along and knocks your socks ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVDTown (John J. Puccio)

Sridhar Prasad

I have lived in suburbia for most of my life. Most of the time I just walk out the door, and walk to my car, and get in and not realize that things are moving around me. Things are actually happening behind me, but I can never see them, because most of ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Sridhar Prasad

Mark O'Hara

There's something classic about the word "American" when it's used in a title. It's appeared in the names of films, fiction, music and many more genres, and gains a certain amount of dignity perhaps from the nomenclature of history: wars and political ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mark O'Hara

Eric Walker

AMERICAN BEAUTY follows the path tread by other movies of this sort, from David Lynch's BLUE VELVET to Linklater's SLACKER, or BREAKING AWAY, or even ROBOCOP. The setting of a peaceful, perfect-looking suburban town suggests echoes of Lynch, but rather ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Eric Walker

Steve Evans

Yes, and there's so much more. A jet-black satire of suburbia, this cautionary fable with a grim, inevitable climax features a stunning performance from Spacey, as the 42-year-old advertising man who hates his job and shrewish wife (Bening). Seldom does ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Steve Evans

DVDRAMA

ComparÃ© au zone 1, lâ��image du zone 2 dâ��American Beauty est lÃ©gÃ¨rement en retrait. Les quelques dÃ©fauts constatÃ©s sur le disque amÃ©ricain sont ici renforcÃ©s. On retrouve ainsi un master quelque peu poussiÃ©reux (de nombreuses petites tÃ¢ches ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVDRAMA

Time Out

After 14 years working in the same office, Lester Burnham (Spacey) is about to get canned. After two decades married to the same woman, he can't stand her any more. Carolyn (Bening) is no more fond of him. And as for their daughter, Jane (Birch), she's ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Time Out

Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

Kevin Spacey can do no wrong. What a performer. His range of emotions and his ability to physically change in his roles is outstanding (remember him at the end of The Usual Suspects?) I can see a companion Oscar on his mantle in March. Annette Bening ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is dead at the beginning of "American Beauty." He tells us so, apparently speaking in voice-over from some unspecific Great Beyond. He is most certainly dead at the end, when his whole life literally flashes before his eyes ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)

The Z Review

American Beauty is an incredible, smart, and driven masterpiece. A look through contemporary life in suburban America is revealed through the eyes of Lester Burnham (Spacey). Lester's family includes his real estate selling wife Carolyn (Bening) and his ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Z Review

La Movie Boeuf (David N. Butterworth)

For 14 years Lester has been a writer for a crappy media magazine. He's married, unhappily, to Carolyn (Annette Bening), an aspiring realtor who lives the image of success even though she's not really all that good at selling houses. The Burnhams have ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at La Movie Boeuf (David N. Butterworth)

The DVD Report (Britt Gillette)

Kevin Spacey plays the role of Lester Burnham, a middle-aged suburban resident who seemingly lives the American Dream. He and his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) have a nice house, a beautiful daughter Jane (Thora Birch), and successful careers. But things ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The DVD Report (Britt Gillette)

ChildCare Action Project

While the central mother in this movie doted over her rose garden, the main thing in *American Beauty* about roses was the rose petals hiding female private parts -- and the petal passed during a kiss from a teen girl to a married man. This movie was ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at ChildCare Action Project

Culturekiosque.com's review

American Beauty may seem like one more flick goofing on the suburbs. And it does include plenty of guffaws at the suburban family's expense: it exposes the drunkenness, the furtive masturbation, the passion for lagoon pools and striped sofas. It snickers ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Culturekiosque.com's review

National Post (--)

...read the complete American Beauty movie review at National Post (--)

Plume Noire

If there is no horror, literally, in American Beauty, the picture is a gallery of creeps or creepiness. No one is immune or has redeeming values, from the protagonists to the two girls (and classmates) to Budy Kane, the smooth real-estate Czar who is not ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Plume Noire

Reviews on the Side (Steven Lekowicz)

The first thing I thought when I saw the poster for this movie was, "Oh. The pasta company is getting into the soft porn business." Then I realized how silly that was and thought, "Nah. They're just getting into made-for-cable movies." Then I hit my head ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reviews on the Side (Steven Lekowicz)

MediaCircus (Anthony Leong)

After winning the People's Choice Award at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, director Sam Mendes' debut feature "American Beauty" is expected to be a strong contender for an Academy Award nomination. This often cynical, black-humored, and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at MediaCircus (Anthony Leong)

NY Rock

Early ads for American Beauty put the movie in the same league as such film-class classics as The Graduate, Ordinary People, and One Flew Over the Cuckooâ��s Nest â�� a cuckoo combo if ever there was one and of course not entirely accurate either. Lolita ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at NY Rock

www.filmrecensiepagina.nl (Wilko de Bruin)

American Beauty, van regisseur Sam Mendes (1999) Lester Burnham ( Kevin Spacey ) zit in een midlifecrisis, veroorzaakt door het leven dat hij lijdt. Zijn ambitieuze vrouw, zijn puber dochter Jane werken niet echt mee. Het gebeurt allemaal in een ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at www.filmrecensiepagina.nl (Wilko de Bruin)

filmtext.com

In guter Erinnerung haben wir " The Icestorm" von Ang Lee. Thema des Films ist der schale Nachgeschmack heruntergewirschafteter Hippieideale, die klaustrophobische Enge amerikanischer Vorortheimeligkeit und die flauseligen NÃ¶te pubertierender Hirne. Die ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at filmtext.com

Teen Movie Critic (Vivian Rose)

Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a man who is a fed up with his life. He's tired of his job, the romance has long since gone out of his marriage, and his daughter Jane (Thora Birch) wants nothing to do with either of her ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Teen Movie Critic (Vivian Rose)

CandidCritic.com

In order to review this film properly, I felt that it was necessary to discuss certain plot points that may reveal aspects of the film about which readers might not want to know prior to seeing the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CandidCritic.com

Haro Online

According to the producers of American Beauty, the title can take on at least three meanings. It could be the roses that Carolyn Burnam (Annette Benning, The Siege, In Dreams) grows in her front yard, or it could represent Angela (Mena Suvari, American ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Haro Online

Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)

American Beauty is a brilliant satirical diagnosis of what's most screwed up about life in this country, especially when it comes to sexual frustration and kiddie porn. Or American Beauty is a hypocritical piece of kiddie porn, brilliantly exploiting an ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)

cinEncanto (José Luis Orozco)

Debo reconocer que cuando vi los avances de esta pelÃcula no estaba muy impresionado. Recuerdo que pensÃ©: "Pon a Kevin Spacey para una actuaciÃ³n sobresaliente, dale una comparsa mÃ¡s o menos decente con Anette Benning, aÃ±ade alguna trama alternativa ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at cinEncanto (José Luis Orozco)

allesfilm.com (Thomas Vesely)

Lester Burnham hat einen Ã¶den Job, eine kaputte Ehe und ein Haus in der typischsten aller amerikanischen VorstÃ¤dte. Wie gut, dass er sich in eine Schulkollegin seiner Tochter verliebt. Der zweite FrÃ¼hling kann beginnen, aber wie lange wird er ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at allesfilm.com (Thomas Vesely)

Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)

Part of this bewilderment stems from the fact that I love Thomas Newman's styles in general. The majority his scores, such as Shawshank Redemption, The Horse Whisperer, and Fried Green Tomatoes, each offers ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)

Linda Lopez McAlister (c/o inforM Women's Studies)

After two weeks of film festival reviews and two weeks of marathon, I'm way behind in my reviews of newly released feature films in theaters. Yesterday I went to take a look at Sam Mendes' film "American Beauty" and that's a description of this film as ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Linda Lopez McAlister (c/o inforM Women's Studies)

CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Alberto Cassani)

A prima vista â��American Beautyâ�� puÃ² sembrare la storia di una tipica famiglia americana. In effetti quella che ci viene presentata Ã¨ la tipica famiglia americana di ceto medio-alto: lei agente immobiliare, lui pubblicitario, classica figlia ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CineFile : il Cinema in Rete (Alberto Cassani)

The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Was American Beauty the single best film of 1999? I can't decide. The second time I watched the film, on a widescreen video screener after it won the Oscar for Best Picture, I thought with horror: I named this sitcom one of my best films of the year? On ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

I think Lester Burnham is destined to become an iconic American character, one with a life well beyond the film that spawned him. As "Forrest Gump," "Norman Bates," and "Mr. Smith," have all become shorthand for, respectively, childlike innocence and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Movie ram-blings (Ram Samudrala)

The movie is about Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), who sees no point to his existence: he is in a cold and frigid relationship with his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening); he barely talks to his daughter Jane (Thora Birch); and he has just been put on the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie ram-blings (Ram Samudrala)

Mutant Reviewers From Hell

"Look Closer" American Beauty's tagline states, and it's hard not to. This film just bombards you with images, themes, the color red, and underage nudity. How did they pull that off? I suppose they figured that they'd compromise and show Kevin Spacey ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mutant Reviewers From Hell

Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey, "The Usual Suspects") is having a mid-life crisis and has less than a year to live. His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening, "The Grifters") and daughter Jane (Thora Birch, "Patriot Games") think he's a loser. He's become ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)

DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

Doesn't it help restore your confidence in the movie industry when an unassuming little film comes along and knocks your socks off? "American Beauty" is funny, thoughtful, sardonic, poignant, provocative, horrifying, and utterly satisfying. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)

With the quiet confidence of a winner, American Beauty snuck quietly into theaters and stunned opening-night audiences with its power. In expert hands, the film takes risks that allow it to succeed as a profound examination of the loss of self. Fifty ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)

Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice

The DVD premiere for this year's winner of the Best Picture Academy Award (among four other statuettes) had been a highly anticipated event--that is, until word came out this summer that the disc would not include the film's now-legendary lost scenes, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice

A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)

Believe it or not, I actually missed "American Beauty" in its theatrical run. This wait was further lengthened when Dreamworks made the decision to release the VHS first (I'll hold back my anger about that decision...). One night when I couldn't sleep, I ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)

DVD Review e-zine

Showered with awards and nominations, Sam Mendesâ�� "American Beauty" has reached a status that hardly allows you to view the picture without any preconceived notions. The fact that the DVD release had been postponed for a long time now further adds to ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Review e-zine

CineScene.com (Kristen Ashley)

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and Carolyn (Annette Bening) have a sham of a marriage. Lester is deeply unhappy with home and work life. Carolyn is driven to acquiring material possessions and displaying uptight behavior so extreme that, after viewing the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CineScene.com (Kristen Ashley)

CineScene.com (Ed Owens)

The worst anyone can be is normal. The topic of familial dysfunction in America is nothing new. In fact, the last two to three years have seen such a glut of similarly thumbed films that its getting more and more difficult to get excited about a new ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CineScene.com (Ed Owens)

Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents

Black Comedy: A middle-aged man, facing the doldrums of a boring, suburban life, sets out to reinvent himself, no matter anyone's reaction, after his daughter's flirtatious teenage friend reignites his long dormant passion for living. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents

Entertainment Insiders (Jeremy Benson)

The multiple award winning (Oscars for Best Actor Kevin Spacey, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematographer for Conrad L. Hall, and Best Original Screenplay for Alan Ball) portrayal of dysfunctional American suburban family. With no support from ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Jeremy Benson)

Political Film Society

The "soap opera" is a very American genre, so we should not be surprised to learn that films depicting enigmas faced by ordinary Americans will captivate many Americans. The Ozzie & Harriet days of simple problems are gone, so the late 1990s are ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Political Film Society

Slant Magazine

am Mendes's slick and smooth American Beauty doesn't age well. It's daring in that it sympathizes with a protagonist who's a pederast though its portrait of an American family in chaos is far from ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Slant Magazine

filmrezension.de (Tobias Vetter)

Lester Burnham ist vÃ¶llig unzufrieden mit seinem langweiligen Leben in einem schicken amerikanischen Vorort. Das allmorgendliche Onanieren unter der Dusche ist der HÃ¶hepunkt seines Tages. Nicht, daÃ� der BÃ¼roangestellte keine Frau hÃ¤tte, doch die ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at filmrezension.de (Tobias Vetter)

Plugged In

This is the story of an American tragedy, not beauty. It's about despair. Isolation. Hopelessness. Lester and his wife, Carolyn, are both going through mid-life crises. Lester's involves lusting after his daughter Jane's best friend, Angela. Carolyn has ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Plugged In

San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)

`American Beauty'' is a wonder of a film -- a luminous, beautifully executed drama that gathers the best cast of the year and marks a sensational screen debut for Sam Mendes, the British theater director of ``Cabaret'' and ``The Blue ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)

The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)

But don't take my word for it. My view is in the minority, and "American Beauty" looks set to win the top Oscars, having been named best picture of the year by the Online Film Critics Society and at the Golden Globes. Me, I think it unfolds as a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)

San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)

`American Beauty'' is a wonder of a film -- a luminous, beautifully executed drama that gathers the best cast of 1999 and marks a sensational screen debut for Sam Mendes, the British theater director of ``Cabaret'' and ``The Blue ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Edward Guthmann)

Reel.com

Sam Mendes' American Beauty takes an intriguing look at a unstrung family living in suburban hell, taking us on an alternately hilarious, disturbing, and thought-provoking journey that reaches a frenzied point of no return. This soundtrack begins with a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reel.com

Reel.com

One of the strongest assets of Sam Mendes' outrageously overrated American Beauty is its magnificent, evocative score by Thomas Newman that adds an air of magic and bittersweet irony to the otherwise mostly clichÃ©-ridden proceedings. Newman, the son of ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reel.com

Radio Free Entertainment

A dark comedy that glimpses into the horrific, mundane lives of a suburban family burdened with modern-day existence. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Radio Free Entertainment

Edwin Jahiel

If there is no horror, literally, in American Beauty, the picture is a gallery of creeps or creepiness. No one is immune or has redeeming values, from the protagonists to the two girls (and classmates) to Budy Kane, the smooth real-estate Czar who is not ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Edwin Jahiel

Boston Review (Alan A. Stone)

When I went to see American Beauty, winner of this yearâ��s Golden Globe for drama, a young man seated behind me kept explaining the film to his companion in urgent whispers as he tried to follow its many twists and turns. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Boston Review (Alan A. Stone)

Club Culture

Une famille d'un quartier bourgeois dans le Mid-West des Ã�tats-Unis est Ã la veille d'un bouleversement. Lester, homme dans la quarantaine, sa femme Carolyn, agente en immobilier et leur fille Thora, jeune adolescente rÃ©voltÃ©e, vivent des moments ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Club Culture

Film e Dvd

Lester Ã¨ un quarantenne in piena crisi di mezza etÃ che cerca di sentirsi piÃ¹ giovane nei modi piÃ¹ paradossali... Si invaghisce della migliore amica della figlia, che nel frattempo Ã¨ spiata da un vicino invadente. La moglie certo non gradisce tanti ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film e Dvd

culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti

The anomie of suburban life has been done to death in American cinema, but American Beauty is a bitterly funny and beautifully crafted film, even if it does cover a lot of familiar ground. Itâ��s a movie that keeps replaying itself in your mind long ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti

DVD Clinic ("Dr. Drew")

If there was movie you had to see in 1999, THIS was it. Featuring a superb ensemble cast of actors and a touching story of self-redemption, American Beauty was unanimously hailed by critics as the best film of the year. Critical acclaim eventually ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Clinic ("Dr. Drew")

Planet Confusion

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey, "Die Ã¼blichen VerdÃ¤chtigen" / "Verhandlungssache") ist der typische amerikanische DurschnittsbÃ¼rger, den sein Leben nur noch langweilt. Seine Frau Carolyn (Anette Bening, "Mars Attacks", "Ausnahmezustand") tyrannisiert ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Planet Confusion

Jump Cut. Magazin für Film und Kritik

American Beauty, der DebÃ¼tfilm des britischen Theaterregisseurs Sam Mendes, ist ein kluger Unterhaltungsfilm. Auf geschickte Weise vermeidet er es, seinen Zuschauern den SpaÃ� zu verderben - und das mit einer Themenpalette von Homphobie Ã¼ber komplett ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Jump Cut. Magazin für Film und Kritik

Mixed Reviews: The Arts, The World, and More (Jill Cozzi)

In 1986, I sat in the third row for a performance of LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT on Broadway. The marquee star was Jack Lemmon, but it was the young actor portraying Jamie, the eldest son, who stole the show. He was a little known New Jersey-born (and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mixed Reviews: The Arts, The World, and More (Jill Cozzi)

Chicago NewCityNet (Ray Pride)

ts dazzling look and sarcastic script impress some; and Thomas Newman's dour yet somehow sparkly score is the kind of intelligent complement that director Sam Mendes has consistently brought to sitcom writer Alan Ball's original script. Some reviews have ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Chicago NewCityNet (Ray Pride)

Crazy for Cinema (Lisa Skrzyniarz)

After I saw this film, it took me a week to get my thoughts together. This isn't a film everyone will like. It took me a long time to come around. It's a powerful story with an intense message that, frankly, quite disturbed me. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Crazy for Cinema (Lisa Skrzyniarz)

Nitrate Online (Gregory Avery)

Rising one morning from the miasma of the sheets on his marriage bed, we see that Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is alone, the other side of the bed being conspicuously vacated. Outside, in the front yard, his wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), is tending ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Nitrate Online (Gregory Avery)

The New York Times - Family Movie Guide (Peter M. Nichols)

Deep in weirdest suburbia, Lester Burnham (Mr. Spacey), who is dead, relates how it all ended just when he had pulled the plug on his whole miserable existence and started to make headway as a liberated man, of all things, with a revamped attitude. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The New York Times - Family Movie Guide (Peter M. Nichols)

Cinemonkey (Pat Holmes)

Suburbia lives in Kevin Spacey's performance as Lester Burnham, the already dead hero of American Beauty. Take a good look at his face and if his smile looks out of place, if you look closer it's easy to trace the tracts of his tears. He has a lovely ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Cinemonkey (Pat Holmes)

Cinopsis

Lester Burnham est une homme vide, une larve, un lÃ©gume humain asservi par une femme qui ne voit en lui qu'un ratÃ© qu'elle traÃ®ne dans les cocktails. Lester dÃ©teste son boulot, Ã une vie sexuelle d'adolescent avec comme point d'orgue journalier sa ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Cinopsis

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

No film of the fall season has created a bigger advance stir than "American Beauty," and, for once, the product lives up to its buzz. The film is a dynamite comedy-drama that, unless it stiffs big-time at the box office, should be up for multi-Oscar ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The (Georgetown) Hoya

Humans never appreciate the true beauty of life until they die. The deceased narrator of "American Beauty," 42-year old Lester Burnham (Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey, "The Usual Suspects,") imparts this message to the viewing audience of the new ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The (Georgetown) Hoya

New York Magazine (Peter Rainer)

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) in American Beauty is a big zero with a boring desk job whose highlight of the day is masturbating in the shower. Then he goes through a life change and is supposedly reborn. I say "supposedly" because the new Lester, apart ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at New York Magazine (Peter Rainer)

Movieline Magazine

When American Beauty was released last year to rapturous reviews, I expected a modern masterpiece. Instead I found it to be the single most frustrating film I'd ever squirmed through. What a difference a year makes. American Beauty is such an intimate ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movieline Magazine

[safe] (Terry Brogan)

Sam Mendes is a theater wunderkind. The man responsible for the phenomenally successful revival of "Cabaret" and who brought a taut tension to David Hareâ��s weak adaptation of "La Ronde" known as "The Blue Room", makes his feature film directorial debut ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at [safe] (Terry Brogan)

filmdeculte.com (Robert Hospyan)

Six ans plus tard, quâ��en est-il dâ��American Beauty, aurÃ©olÃ© de cinq Oscars (film, rÃ©alisateur, scÃ©nario original, acteur principal et photographie), premier long mÃ©trage dâ��un metteur en scÃ¨ne venu du thÃ©Ã¢tre choisi personnellement par Steven ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at filmdeculte.com (Robert Hospyan)

Moving Pictuers @ Cin3ma

What can be more typical than a family consisting of a mother, daughter and a father? What is more ordinary than a desktop job, dinner at the same time every day, a daughter that hates you and a wife who has forgotten what the word "sex" means several ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Moving Pictuers @ Cin3ma

Movie Geek Central

...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie Geek Central

The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)

Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a 42-year-old man who has lost touch with anything that made him feel alive. His wife Carolyn (Annette Benning) is a realtor, so highly focused that she is clenched. His daughter Jane (Thora Birch) is a sullen teenager. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)

Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)

It wants to be an original beauty so much that it doesn't realize just how plain and ordinary it really is. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)

IMDB.com

AMERICAN BEAUTY was a feature film debut for its director Sam Mendes. However, it doesn't show on the screen. Mendes confidently deals with camera and uses every trick on his disposal, especially when showing Lester's lust over Angela those are the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at IMDB.com

Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)

Poetic in its execution, "American Beauty" is a satire on Joe America who hasn't stopped to smell the roses in so many years that the high point of his day is playing with himself in the shower. He ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)

San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)

Here we are floating above a series of placid streets populated by symmetrical canopies of oaks and sycamores. Each driveway holds at least one car parked next to a painstakingly manicured lawn, maybe some shrubbery and rose bushes. To our left, there ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)

A really nice movie review

The feeling when watching this movie is that it's all a day in the life of Kevin Spacey. If you've seen Usual Suspects, you will know how well this guy can act. He plays Lester Burnham, a man in an unhappy marriage who lives from day to day. His wife, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at A really nice movie review

The Net-Monster looks closer at "American Beauty"

Something any viewer of American Beauty must decide is whether the shortcomings of the characters in the film are confined to themselves, or whether director Sam Mendes is implying these character flaws are typical of the current American condition. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Net-Monster looks closer at "American Beauty"

Reel.com

American Beauty is a ferociously funny, kick-in-the-groin jaunt through the backyard hell of modern suburbia that clicks along like well-oiled, razor-sharp garden shears ... for about an hour. Unfortunately, it runs two hours. The rub with Sam ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reel.com

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