Critic Reviews
American Beauty (1999) Rank 4 Reviews
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Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)
There's only so much that can be said about any one particular film. American Beauty is one of those films. No matter how much you praise it, no matter how many people you tell to see it, no matter what you do, it's just not enough. In ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)
Frankie Paiva
I think that if any of us have learned a lesson from all of the movies that have come out during this past year it's that too much hype is a bad thing. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Frankie Paiva
Walter Frith
Next door to the Burnham family live the Fitts. There is the teenage son Ricky (Wes Bentley), a drug dealer with a deceiving and clean cut appearance and shining personality. His father is a right wing gung ho marine (Chris Cooper) who is a bigot and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Walter Frith
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Mendes shows it more stylishly, embracing the seemingly normal Burnham family -- bored magazine writer Lester (Kevin Spacey), materialistic real-estate agent Carolyn (Annette Bening) and wise teen daughter Jane (Thora Birch) -- with a camera focusing on ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Slate (David Edelstein)
Early in American Beauty, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a weary reporter for a media magazine, masturbates in the shower while informing us in voice-over that we're witnessing the highlight of his day. He peers through tired eyes out the window at his ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Slate (David Edelstein)
CinCity Movie Reviews
American Beauty is a strange movie indeed. It's the story of a middle-aged working stiff (Spacey), who has lost his interest in almost everything in life. I'm sure there are virtually millions of Americans who can relate to that. He has a bitch for a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CinCity Movie Reviews
Apollo Movie Guide (Elspeth Haughton)
The classic American white-collar male encounters his "mid-life crisis," and learns a valuable lesson. This film debut by director Sam Mendes is a treasure filled with warmth, humour, truth and sadness. There's a bit of American Beauty in all of us. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Apollo Movie Guide (Elspeth Haughton)
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
What American Beauty has to say isn't pretty, at least not in the conventional fashion, but it is a brilliant, exhilarating piece of filmmaking. It may even be the best mainstream film of the year thus far, and by mainstream I mean produced by a major ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
The Onion A.V. Club (Scott Tobias)
Outside of Steven Spielberg's fantastical vision, suburbia usually serves as a dumping ground for filmmakers who spurn either its neat, flawlessly manicured lawns (Blue Velvet, Edward Scissorhands) or its overdeveloped, decaying grotesquerie (Happiness, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Onion A.V. Club (Scott Tobias)
The DVD Archives (Will Penley)
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is miserable. His job is meaningless, his marriage is falling apart and he hates his life. He doesn't get along well with his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) or his daughter Jane (Thora Birch). Things begin to turn upside ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The DVD Archives (Will Penley)
DVD Times
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is having the worst type of mid-life crisis - He hates his mundane job, he has lost the connection between himself and his trophy wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) and his teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) no longer seeks his ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Times
eFilmCritic
My family's a thousand degrees more functional than the Burnham's, sure, but when watching American Beauty, you almost get the feeling like you're watching people you know act on their true desires...like a daydream. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at eFilmCritic
FilmHead.com
Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening play Lester and Carolyn Burnham. Lester writes for a magazine and Carolyn has a lucrative career in real estate. Everything is perfect in their lives except that they have no feelings for each other, and their daughter, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at FilmHead.com
Flipside Movie Emporium
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a typical family man who slaves through his nine-to-five at a media-marketing magazine. He has an almost nonexistent relationship with his teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch), who seems like any other misunderstood ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium
Home Theater Info
Lester (Kevin Spacey) may have started out embracing his life but now he drifts along like so much flotsam. Love has left his life. His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) tries her best to project the appearance of happiness and perfection that she has let ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Home Theater Info
The J Man Times
In the Entertainment Weekly video review of American Beauty, the question is asked (in minor criticism) "does there really have to be a murder at film's end? Wouldn't it be braver, less dramatically convenient, to let these lives unravel on?" Of ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The J Man Times
LeisureSuit.net
It tells the story of Lester Burnham, a family man and self-described loser who's alienated from his teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) and materialistic, career-minded wife Carolyn (Annette Bening, who gets the year's best line: "When I was your ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at LeisureSuit.net
Anthony Leong's MediaCircus
At the age of 42, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey of "Hurlyburly") is a complete burnout, wandering through his pathetically uneventful life in a catatonic daze. As a media buyer at a major advertising firm, he passes his days in his cubicle, calling ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Anthony Leong's MediaCircus
Edward Johnson-Ott
Midway through "American Beauty," a young man obsessed with videotaping asks a new friend if she'd like to see the most beautiful thing he ever filmed. He shows her a video of an empty plastic grocery sack caught in a breeze. With a brick wall behind it ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Edward Johnson-Ott
John Beachem
He quits his job, starts working out and smoking pot, buys his dream car, and drives his wife even further over the edge. She has, in fact, become so distanced from Lester that she's now having an affair with her realestate rival, Buddy Kane. Next door ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at John Beachem
Akiva Gottlieb
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) isn't a bad guy. But as we learn through his opening narration, he lives in a nice house in a small town, and within a year he will be dead. His marriage to real estate agent Carolyn (Annette Bening) is almost nonexistent, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Akiva Gottlieb
That Cow (Andrew Bradford)
From the start, we are treated to interesting decisions. A video flash-forward. That moody music. The masturbation scene. The use of the color red. It all sets the mood for what is to come. And how it builds from there! We are looking right into the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at That Cow (Andrew Bradford)
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Lester and Carolyn Burnham, the characters at the rotting core ofAmerican Beauty, lead lives of quiet desperation.Lester (Kevin Spacey) has grown bored with his job at an advertising trade magazine, the spark is long gone from his ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
Let's not get carried away with this one. American Beauty is a great script, taken to its limits by a flawless ensemble cast, and elevated even higher by Thomas Newman's terrific score. It's clearly one of the year's American Beautymost interesting and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers
Kevin Spacey used to be play a character on the old CBS series "Wiseguy." I never watched the show, but I caught a rerun once in which he was so furious at somebody that he actually threatened to 'eat his children.' If that's not a sign of an ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers
Film Frat
In the critically acclaimed American Beauty, director Sam Mendes takes the distorted notion of success in our culture and creates an analytic film that gives a disturbing look at what's accepted as "everyday life." There hasn't been such satirical ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Frat
Juicy Cerebellum (Alex Sandell)
ester Burnham's (Kevin Spacey) life is a mess. He can't stand his job. His wife (Annette Bening) is more interested in clipping the hedges than she is with making love to him. His daughter (Thora Birch) is saving up all her money for breast ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Juicy Cerebellum (Alex Sandell)
Greg King
Yet another biting satire that savagely deconstructs the notion of wholesome family values in the heartland of American suburbia. As an exploration of dysfunctional families, the erosion of family values and the souring of the American dream, American ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Greg King
Shay Casey
The above plot summary doesn't remotely do justice to the numerous subplots and characters in "American Beauty," and I will touch on several of those later on, but I begin by centering on the character of Lester Burnham because the actor playing him has ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Shay Casey
Christian Pyle
Just as life looks its bleakest, Lester finds a strange salvation in Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), a teenage friend of Jane's. Watching Angela perform as a cheerleader, Lester has a surreal epiphany that launches him on a midlife crisis. Before long, he ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Christian Pyle
FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)
The opening shot of Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd. shows William Holden's body floating in a pool. Then you hear him begin to narrate the film, which is told in flashback until his character's death. Many films have used this device, but most of them failed ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)
Boxoffice Magazine
Quite correctly honored with five Oscars for its unsettlingly dark and compelling reflection of American society's almost pathological dysfunction, "American Beauty" is a modern classic which will continue to grow in reputation for years (unlike other ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Boxoffice Magazine
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Believe the hype because its true. This is certainly one of, if not the best film of the year. Going in I wasn't expecting much, I mean a tale of a man having a middle-age crisis sounds kind of boring doesn't it? Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Daily-Reviews.com (Shay Casey)
Reviews by John (John Haywood)
have mixed feelings about "artsy" films. The good ones are as complex and fascinating as any great art. The bad ones tend to be pointlessly weird. Fortunately, while "American Beauty" may be pretentious, it's more than strong enough to back up that ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reviews by John (John Haywood)
Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
"I will sell this house today."
In my reviews I try to make gentle recommendations rather than telling you what to see or what not to see. I realize that we all have different tastes and I cannot predict what my audience will like and what they will ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Blather (Eugene Novikov)
Dustin Putman
To summarize the premise is to trivialize its multilayered and clearlydefined characters, and the wholly unpredictable story developments, but here goes. Like Robert Altman's most impressive work (1975's `Nashville,' 1993's `Short Cuts'), `American ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Dustin Putman
Steve Rhodes
"My wife and daughter think I'm this gigantic loser," Lester admits with hopeless acceptance.His sarcastic, bitch of a wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), is an obsessivecompulsive real estate agent, who cleans houses for sale in her slip, lest she get a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Steve Rhodes
World Socialist Web Site (German)
Bis zu einem gewissen Maß ist die unangebrachte Begeisterung der Filmkritiker für diesen Film und auch die insgesamt wohlwollende Aufnahme durch das Publikum verständlich, aber auch etwas zufällig. Nach der Schiesserei in der Columbine Highschool und ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at World Socialist Web Site (German)
Absolute Write's PAN & SCAN
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a man who lives the ideal American fantasy: career, family, house in the burbs. But beyond that facade, he is a man whose life is about to experience the ultimate mid-life crisis. He continues his dead marriage to wife ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Absolute Write's PAN & SCAN
Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)
An incisive, deliriously funny and profound vision of the American Dream hitting meltdown. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)
Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)
An incisive, deliriously funny and profound vision of the American Dream hitting meltdown. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Empire Magazine (Ian Nathan)
TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
American Beauty is a devastating motion picture of unconceivable power. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Cinenganos (Alex Ramirez)
Les recomiendo leer entre líneas, la realidad mostrada es devastadora, demasiado "bella" y "ordinaria" para algunos... ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Cinenganos (Alex Ramirez)
Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
Filled with moments of uncommon intelligence, sensitivity, truth and wit, American Beauty is an instant American classic. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
The kind of artful defiance that Hollywood is usually too timid to deliver: a jolting comedy that makes you laugh till it hurts. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Pamela's Film and Entertainment (Pamela Villaflores)
American Beauty is a perfect example of how talent and material can collide to create a felicitous communion of perfection. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Pamela's Film and Entertainment (Pamela Villaflores)
Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
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. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
eFilmCritic.com (Scott Weinberg)
The world's most honest sitcom. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Scott Weinberg)
iofilm.co.uk (The Wolf)
As a thumbnail analysis of the middle-class American psyche, Alan Ball's script is a devastating attack. It is also extremely funny. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at iofilm.co.uk (The Wolf)
Projectionist (Sean Caszatt)
So I Saw This Movie... (John Halbert)
Jamey Hughton's Movie Views (Jamey Hughton)
Buzz (Tanya Marsh)
Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies (Greg Dean Schmitz)
rec.arts.movies.reviews (John Sylva)
UK Press Association (--)
watchingmovies.com (Rob McKinnon)
Spacey and Bening are absolutely fabulous ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at watchingmovies.com (Rob McKinnon)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
AboutFilm.com (Dana Knowles)
Elegant and gorgeous in its careful progression from satire to poignant drama, AMERICAN BEAUTY celebrates the rewards of the journey instead of glorifying the destination or the prize. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at AboutFilm.com (Dana Knowles)
The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews
A dark comedy about a suburban family rocked by the urge to get out of the suburban rut they're in. Stars Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews
Cinephiles
American Beauty, directed by British theater director Sam Mendes (Cabaret, The Blue Room) and written by Alan Ball, is a film which focuses on a suburban-American family, portraying its characters' dysfunctional relationships as a direct symptom of their ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Cinephiles
crocoPuffs
American Beauty is one of those films that gets better the more times you see it. To be honest, the first time I saw it I thought it was very good, but since then I've come to think of it as one of the best movies of the last decade. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at crocoPuffs
Digital Monkey Box - DVD review
A few years ago American Beauty was the darling of the Academy Awards. It currently appears in numerous college text books as an example of both good storytelling and filmmaking, or at least it did in books for the worthless media classes I took. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Digital Monkey Box - DVD review
Swimming to Casablanca - sprint reviews
Who, or what, is the beauty in AMERICAN BEAUTY? I think it is the ironic beauty of commerical and material things, which is everywhere in American society, especially prevalent in "white" suburbia. As in AMERICAN BEAUTY it sometimes results in people ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Swimming to Casablanca - sprint reviews
IndependentCritics.com (TC Candler)
There is a longing in this film... A longing to hold on to beautiful moments and memories just a little longer than we are usually allowed. This film wistfully captures that aching desire to live inside our memories and dreams because they are much ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at IndependentCritics.com (TC Candler)
Movie-Page.com review
Poor, poor Lester. At age 42, he is stuck in a dead-end job, a meaningless marriage, and a love-less family. Every single day is just one more step towards the end of his life. He has nothing to look forward to besides his morning shower/jerk-off session. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie-Page.com review
Needcoffee.com - Movie Review
Lester (Spacey) is a man with a problem. His life sucks. He's forty-two, he's stuck in a marriage that is the opposite of bliss with his polyurethane wife (Bening), his daughter (Birch) thinks he is an utter loser, and his job is going absolutely ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Needcoffee.com - Movie Review
At-A-Glance Film Reviews
American Beauty is not unlike a movie Billy Wilder might make, were he still making movies today. It's set in suburban America and penetrates beneath the surface gloss to the dark passions and obsessions lying repressed. American Beauty is all about the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews
** Shrubbery Review -- American Beauty **
Every time he's in a movie, I gain respect for him. I've liked him ever since The Usual Suspects, but it seemed like he usually played psychos-take Se7en for example. He was great, eerily confident and cold-blooded, but he only showed up near the end of ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at ** Shrubbery Review -- American Beauty **
Ultimate Movies! Review
In my reviews I try to make gentle recommendations rather than telling you what to see or what not to see. I realize that we all have different tastes and I cannot predict what my audience will like and what they will dislike. But in the case of American ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Ultimate Movies! Review
Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Marvelous filmmaking on every level. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
iAfrica.com (Andrew Burden)
It's a perfect day for letting go ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at iAfrica.com (Andrew Burden)
Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
Wildly funny and unpredictable. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mr. Brown's Movies (Michael Dequina)
New York Post (Rod Dreher)
American Beauty is a flat-out masterpiece, surely the best movie of the year; indeed, an all-time classic. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at New York Post (Rod Dreher)
Hollywood Bitchslap (Thom Fowler)
We may finally see the last vestiges of post-war suburban consciousness thrown out the window. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Hollywood Bitchslap (Thom Fowler)
Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
It challenges and disturbs as it invigorates and entertains. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Jam! Movies (Louis B. Hobson)
filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)
First time director Sam Mendes and first time
screenwriter Alan Ball combine forces to make
a really weird comedy. "American Beauty" is
full of transparently normal characters who
are actually destined for the looney farm.
There's a power gay ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)
World Socialist Web Site
Lester Burnham is a middle aged magazine writer on the verge of losing his job. He lives in an immaculate suburb with his real estate agent wife Carolyn, who considers her husband a failure and won't allow him to touch her, and his teenage daughter ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at World Socialist Web Site
PopMatters (Rhonda Baughman)
American Beauty is by far and away one of the best movies of 1999, and be that as it may; it wouldn't be the same without Kevin Spacey. Lester Burnham (Spacey) is an aging advertising rep on the edge of self-discovery or mental collapse, perhaps even ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at PopMatters (Rhonda Baughman)
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
And that's pretty accurate. "American Beauty" is compelling to watch, full of black humor, evocative imagery and wrenching sadness. It creates more of a mood than an actual theme or message, though even that mood is difficult to describe. You have to ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
FOCUS Online
Ein ereignisloses Leben in der Vorstadtwüste, verheiratet mit einem Drachen (Annette Bening), von der Tochter (Thora Birch) gnadenlos verachtet und im Job kurz vor der Kündigung – Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) hat genug von diesem Alptraum: Er ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at FOCUS Online
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Lester Burham (Kevin Spacey) hates his life. Where has the fun of his youth gone? Things used to be so easier, and now he's trapped in a boring office job, which he leaves only to return to his alienating suburbia neighborhood to a wife (Annette Bening) ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
CinemaSense.Com: Movie Reviews of the Heart
Our lives are tinged with illusion, pretense, and fear. American Beauty explores the dark, comic, tragic, and ironic aspects of our dread to truly know ourselves. We pretend we are someone we’re not. We desperately cling to the sweet lies we force ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CinemaSense.Com: Movie Reviews of the Heart
Cinematter (Matt Williams)
What is normal? What is ordinary? What is beautiful? American Beauty proposes that appearances are nearly always deceiving, and there's always more to see if you just look closer. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is burnt out. At forty-two years old, he's ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Cinematter (Matt Williams)
El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) es un hombre de mediana edad que está sufriendo una profunda crisis. Las relaciones con su esposa Carolyn (Annette Bening) van de mal en peor y ya no se encuentra a gusto en ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
Blunt Review with Emily Blunt
Lester's un-loving wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening) is an anal retentive bitch hag without a droplet of joy in her pseudo-yuppy life. She's hell bent on moving up in her profession and is losing her grip, quickly. She tries to hypnotize herself into ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Blunt Review with Emily Blunt
Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) hates his life. He hates his job as a writer for an advertising magazine. He's grown apart from his family. His wife (Annette Bening), a real estate saleswoman, is "joyless" and his teenage daughter (Thora Birch) ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Media-Assault.com (Sean Caszatt)
DVDnett.no
Akkurat nå sitter jeg her med en klump i halsen og en slags sår følelse i brystet, den samme jeg hadde etter at jeg hadde sett American Beauty for første gang, like etter at den kom ut, på en kino like ved Times Square i New York. Det er nesten ikke ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVDnett.no
As the Reel Rolls (Malcolm Clark)
It's had a lot of hype, some of which mumbled about ®Oscar. Thus my great expectations, unfulfilled for the first twenty minutes yet finally realized as the digging below the surface of life reached pay dirt. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at As the Reel Rolls (Malcolm Clark)
Movie-Vault.com (Matthew Coats)
Sam Mendes, who directed this masterpiece, had previously directed a revival of "Cabaret" on Broadway, which I happened to see when I was living in New York. It was a great production if you could get over the sight of Alan Cumming wearing practically ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie-Vault.com (Matthew Coats)
Guess the Gross
I've only seen it once, and that's all I'll ever need. This movie makes its point so clearly and poignantly that one needn't rewind it to catch the minor details. Kevin Spacey wakes up after forty and some odd years to realize that he isn't living life, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Guess the Gross
Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
Ah, the American Dream. It conjures up images of the suburbs, family, kids, a dog, two cars, a house, and a white picket fence--but word play is a funny thing. What people don't seem to realize is that the dream is just that--a dream. It doesn't exist. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
The Cincinnati Enquirer (Margaret A. McGurk)
For a dire tragedy about dying spirits, American Beauty is surprisingly funny. But then, almost everything about this film is a surprise. Who would have imagined that a writer best known for television sitcoms could produce such a profoundly subtle, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Cincinnati Enquirer (Margaret A. McGurk)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
American Beauty is the winner of several Oscars from 1999. Critics worldwide have praised this film for its technical expertise and great storytelling. From the acting to script to musical score to message, it is true that there is much to appreciate ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Christian Spotlight on the Movies
Movie Reviews UK
There are many, many films out there that concern themselves with the fabled mom's apple-pie family unit. It's easy to grasp why filmmakers, and by extension audiences, are so captivated by this topic; it allows us to gaze upon a mirror image of ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie Reviews UK
BBC Films
Lester (Spacey) and his over-ambitious realtor wife Carolyn (Bening) used to be happy and in love, but now they hate spending time together and endure their lives for the sake of daughter Jane (Birch). On top of that, computer journalist Lester despises ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at BBC Films
Cineclub-Filmkritik
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) ist ein deprimierter Familienvater. Seine Frau Carolyn (Annette Benning) will keinen Sex mehr mit ihm, sein Job schwebt ihn Gefahr und seine Tochter Jane (Thora Birch) kann ihn nicht ausstehen. Er fühlt sich ständig ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Cineclub-Filmkritik
BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
All sorts of wonderful movies are appearing on DVD. It does tend though to be the noisier action epics that get proper attention when it comes to 5.1 coding. Noise is fun, but then so are subtle effects that build an enveloping atmosphere around you. On ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
DVD Talk (Jeremy Kleinman)
This is an awe inspiring film. While some of the film's notions of beauty may seem difficult to comprehend, the confluence of these notions, the cinematography of the film and some truly incredible performances renders this film a truly beautiful film ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Talk (Jeremy Kleinman)
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Joel Cunningham)
From mid-summer 1999 up until the Oscars® in March 2000, the one film I kept hearing was a lock for an Oscar® nod was American Beauty. I heard people praise the acting, the directing, the cinematography, and most of all, the script. When I finally saw ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at digitallyOBSESSED.com (Joel Cunningham)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
It's hard to know how mainstream audiences are going to take a film like "American Beauty," which is much easier to admire than it is to ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Detroit News (Susan Stark)
The Oscar Guy (Wesley Lovell)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
Every time I see a new Kevin Spacey movie, I expect the world from him, and every time he delivers the galaxy. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
filethirteen.com
I was one of the lucky ones. I got to see "American Beauty" about a month before it was released to the general public. It's a remarkable film delving into the nature of one man's rise from white collar suburban hell into the clarity and beauty of the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at filethirteen.com
Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)
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 Home Theater Info (Doug MacLean)
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
From the opening moment we know we're in the hands of gifted, assured, focussed filmmakers. Everything about American Beauty, from the camera work (framing, colours, lighting, editing) to the dialog and performances all imply complex meaning and subtext. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Images (Gary Johnson)
Recently, American suburbia has been placed under the microscope by American filmmakers. Movies such as The Ice Storm, Happiness, and Election have suggested that a certain hollowness has taken root and spread like cancer throughout suburbia. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Images (Gary Johnson)
Tiscali UK
He's middle-aged, with a stroppy 16 year old daughter called Jane (Thora Birch), a picture-perfect estate agent wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) who's far more turned on by career targets, a long-term job suddenly threatened by corporate stream-lining and a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Tiscali UK
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Mendes shows it more stylishly, embracing the seemingly normal Burnham family -- bored magazine writer Lester (Kevin Spacey), materialistic real-estate agent Carolyn (Annette Bening) and wise teen daughter Jane (Thora Birch) -- with a camera focusing on ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
I'm not the sentimental type, so it is quite the rarity that I am truly touched by a film. When most moviegoers are having epiphany moments at Good Will Hunting and Patch Adams, I'm always singing the praises of some cynical film that is as far from ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
Soundwaves Cinema (John Stanley)
AMERICAN BEAUTY is a beauty of a film about America. But it's not really about anything beautiful. It's about many things ugly and secret hidden away beneath our shimmering way of life.
"Beauty" is only skin deep in this glimpse into middle-class ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Soundwaves Cinema (John Stanley)
Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
One of the best movies of the 90s. An absolute beauty. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)
Every once in a while a film comes along out of nowhere and completely knocks you on your ass. For me, American Beauty was exactly this type of film. It is a true and uncompromised masterpiece, and it also represents the exact reason I love to go to the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)
CinemaZone.dk
I American Beauty skal man ikke kradse særlig meget i overfladen, før man opdager dens hæslige sandhed. Lester og hans karrierebesatte kone Carolyn, var nemlig engang lykkelige, men det er evigheder af dårlig kommunikation, afsporede forhåbninger og ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at CinemaZone.dk
Deranged Video Dude (Robert Wurth)
"Look closer" is the tagline for the film American Beauty. This is exactly what this film does. It opens with what on the surface appears to be any ordinary family. In most respects, they are any ordinary family - and that's the point. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Deranged Video Dude (Robert Wurth)
Boxoffice Magazine
The tagline for Sam Mendes' feature film debut reads, "...look closer," a mantra that Mendes repeats over and over as he dissects the modern American family. Lester and Carolyn Burnham (Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening) are a couple living the American ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Boxoffice Magazine
Needcoffee.com
Lester (Spacey) is a man with a problem. His life sucks. He's forty-two, he's stuck in a marriage that is the opposite of bliss with his polyurethane wife (Bening), his daughter (Birch) thinks he is an utter loser, and his job is going absolutely ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Needcoffee.com
MovieEye.com (David Litton)
And then I revisited "American Beauty"; once, and then again soon after, as a means to find some sort of escape into a world that is not far from the one in which I live. It's a world where the corporate life is a suffocating plastic bag put over our ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at MovieEye.com (David Litton)
Three Movie Buffs (Patrick Nash)
One would have to search long and hard to find a recent movie that is as powerful and as funny as American Beauty. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Patrick Nash)
DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
In a town that seems like any other town, lies a street that seems like any other street, which is where Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) lives. Burnham is a man who looks like most other men, a businessman who lives in the suburbs with his ambitious wife ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
"American Beauty" is a comedy because we laugh at the absurdity of the hero's problems. And a tragedy because we can identify with his failure--not the specific details, but the general ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
kids-in-mind
Lots of sexual innuendo including references to masturbation, homosexuality and sex between a teenager and an adult. A couple has sex with thrusting, her legs up in the air and sex talk (but only her bare legs and his bare back are seen). ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at kids-in-mind
Brandon Herring
In the history of movies, some really good movies have come out. They have been memorable in our minds, and make us think about them even to this day. They can be 100 years old, to only a year old and still be a great film. Sometimes they are so good it ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Brandon Herring
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
At last, a movie with no likable characters that is nothing short of a joy to watch. Let’s see if American Psycho can top that! American Beauty chronicles the last year in the life of 42 year-old hack magazine writer Lester Burnham (Spacey), ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
American Beauty is the story of one average family that turns out to be not so average upon closer inspection. Lester Burnham (Spacey) is an average family man, who decides one day to make some changes in his boring, uneventful life. These changes ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Flipside Movie Emporium (Michael Scrutchin)
And, for awhile now, whenever someone talks about "beauty," I'll be thinking of a plastic bag on a quiet winter day, dancing in the wind. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Michael Scrutchin)
Anchorage Press (Brenda Sokolowski)
Spacey as Lester is the perfect embodiment of a cuckold: not only is he looked down upon by his success-oriented wife and contemptuous teenage daughter, but even at work he finds himself having to defend his worth to a 25-year-old efficiency expert named ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Anchorage Press (Brenda Sokolowski)
DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
Meet Lester Burhnam (Kevin Spacey). Lester is your average, ordinary guy. He's married with a child, Jane (Thora Birch). His first admission to us is that he'll be dead in a year. It's interesting to say and even more interesting to hear...I mean how ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
The Movie Insider (Steven Taylor)
After tearing down our false beliefs in that ever-elusive American beauty, it's nice to have Ricky and Lester help us realize that true beauty doesn't reside in our swell suburban homes, materialistic collections, or anything else money can buy. No, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Movie Insider (Steven Taylor)
AboutFilm.com (Jeff Vorndam)
American Beauty is one of the best films I have seen so far this year. I give it an A-. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at AboutFilm.com (Jeff Vorndam)
DVD Verdict (Sean McGinnis)
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 (Sean McGinnis)
MovieMaze (Thomas Straßer)
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
I somehow liked the film more than I probably should have. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
Great but not *that* great. The strengths of this likely (art?) crowd-pleasing pitch-black comedy include command performances by Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, a never-quite-predictable plot, a bonafide murder mystery in there as well, at least a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
Films on Disc (Stuart J. Kobak)
American Beauty stands up to home theater scrutiny rather well. It's devastating comedy and nasty ramrod drama. The film strikes its target with the accuracy of an Olympic archer. Even when we are laughing, an adult standard of honesty is pivotal to the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Films on Disc (Stuart J. Kobak)
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Mendes turns his attention here to the Anywhere in America, suburbs, a favorite place for sitcoms, where the middleclass are always ripe for social criticism. In this case, the film hones in on two dysfunctional suburban families living next to each ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Apollo Guide (Elspeth Haughton)
American Beauty speaks to the husbands and wives who fight over dinner; to the worker slapping his knee along to the film's soundtrack; to the guy in the back row who yells out “Amen to that!â€; and to the girlfriend who blushes when her date's arm ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Apollo Guide (Elspeth Haughton)
DVD MovieGuide
Logically, I should have greeted the acclaim accorded American Beauty with glee, especially when Oscar time came. After all, few more than I have bemoaned the Academy's stodgy and unadventurous choices over the years, and for something as distinctive and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVD MovieGuide
EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
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. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
Movie Guys with Jeff & Dave (Jeffrey K. Howard)
Annette Bening gives the performance of her career. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie Guys with Jeff & Dave (Jeffrey K. Howard)
Matt's Movie Reviews (Matt Easterbrook)
Hilarious, cynical, disturbing, yet emotionally satisfying. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Matt's Movie Reviews (Matt Easterbrook)
DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
funny, thoughtful, sardonic, poignant, provocative, horrifying, and utterly satisfying. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
Killer Ducky (--)
Oregon Herald (Jamie Peck)
Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
It starts with Alan Ball's superb screenplay. It evolves into what is, at least as of mid-September, the best, most mature American film of 1999. "American Beauty," justifiably a hit that created a buzz at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)
In the second scene, dad is heard in voiceover, describing his life in suburbia -- a life that, he explains, ended at the age of 42, making the entire film a flashback to the events leading up to his death. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Deep Focus (Bryant Frazer)
Movies for Guys
This movie takes a detailed look at these peoples lives, which is a kind way to say that it moves kind of slow at points. If you're after a rip-roaring action flick then don't bother seeing ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movies for Guys
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Lester Burnham (Spacey) hits his midlife crisis when his job is in jeopardy, his wife won't have sex with him, and his daughter despises him. His new neighbors include an ultra-rightwing nut and his dope dealing son who has an annoying ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
In Film Australia
Just as the film begins we learn that Lester Burnham, animated as a middle-aged extravagant by Kevin Spacey, is dead, and that he is reflecting via voice over on a time in his life in which he cut loose from his depressing lifestyle as a hopeless father, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at In Film Australia
Entertainment Insiders (Craig Roush)
Philosophers throughout the ages have been plagued by questions of reality, normality, and regularity; in essence, the integrity of things as we perceive them to be. The earliest and most famous analysis of this subject is Plato's dialogue Allegory ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Craig Roush)
MovieFreak.com (Dan Scully)
From the opening glide over Lester Burnham's neighborhood accompanied by Lester's confident narration, American Beauty wraps it's loving arms around the viewer and shows them a whole other side to themselves. Sam Mendes' masterpiece was acclaimed by ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at MovieFreak.com (Dan Scully)
Audio Revolution
When Lester introduces himself to us, he is living a life of quiet desperation (punctuated by occasional through-clenched-teeth warfare) in upper-middle-class suburbia with wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) and teenaged daughter Jane (Thora Birch). Lester ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Audio Revolution
Suad Bejtovic, Bosnian Movie Critic
Kevin Spacey doesn’t like calling his new movie, American Beauty, "dark", especially knowing that he played the role of a serial killer in one of the darkest movies ever, Seven. This is, says Spacey, a very funny movie. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Suad Bejtovic, Bosnian Movie Critic
Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Every so often a film comes along that takes a shot at the suburbs. Built on a foundation of paper-thin appearances and material possessions, suburban America is always an easy target. The angst-ridden youth, the disfunctional marriages, the automotive ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Ronald L. Strong
With that piece of dialogue, we are fully introduced to Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a 42 year old man trapped within his own life. Lester works for an advertising agency. His growing dissatisfaction with his job is only one of the mid-life crisis he ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Ronald L. Strong
Bob Bloom
He hates his job, is distant from his wife and daughter, has no interests, no friends, no passion. The highlight of his day is masturbating during his morning shower.Lester is invisible. He gets no enjoyment out of life nor does he give any.That all ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Bob Bloom
Stephen Graham Jones
Most movies willingly yield to even minimal analysis--fall apart in your hands, into a set of easily identifiable conventions, character types, etc. Not so with director Sam Mendes' American Beauty, the story of what the suburban American dream looks ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Stephen Graham Jones
Jon Ridge
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 Jon Ridge
Homer Yen
The wheels are set in motion and the film wonderfully strips any conventions that we have of suburbia and gives us some very strange yet sad characters with whom we can empathize. For Lester, it's time to let loose. He no longer cares about anything and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Homer Yen
Homer Yen
The wheels are set in motion and the film wonderfully strips any conventions that we have of suburbia and gives us some very strange yet sad characters with whom we can empathize. For Lester, it's time to let loose. He no longer cares about anything and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Homer Yen
The Tech (MIT) (Vladimir Zelevinsky)
DreamWorks seems to be learning lessons -- but they’re entirely the wrong kind of lessons. After some early good-to-middling films doing good -to-middling business, it seems that the strategy should be simple: make better movies. Instead, they seem to ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Tech (MIT) (Vladimir Zelevinsky)
Reel Movie Critic (George O. Singleton)
Harvey's Movie Review (Harvey O'Brien)
Mesmerising suburban satire from theatre director Sam Mendes and screenwriter Alan Ball featuring Kevin Spacey in a commanding performance as a husband and father undergoing a mid-life crisis which eventually becomes a redemptive epiphany. As a ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Harvey's Movie Review (Harvey O'Brien)
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
What American Beauty has to say isn't pretty, at least not in the conventional fashion, but it is a brilliant, exhilarating piece of filmmaking. It may even be the best mainstream film of the year thus far, and by mainstream I mean produced by a major ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Gary Jones
There are moments of utter delight in the screenplay by Alan Ball (another firsttimer), which shares some thematic similarities to David Fincher's Fight Club even the leading characters' names (Lester Burnham and Tyler Durden) have a similar ring. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Gary Jones
Louis Proyect
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) enjoys all the outward trappings of middle-class success in the aptly but ironically titled film "American Beauty": a beautiful wife named Carolyn (Annette Bening) with her own real-estate business and a teenage daughter ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Louis Proyect
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Black comedy of the deepest, richest darkness laid over an aching meditation on the atrophy of dreams not so much deferred as unformed, unarticulated and lost in the shuffle; this chronicle of suburban families imploding in slow motion contains genuine ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
American Beauty is not your average murder comedy. Director Mendes combines hilarious comic elements with seriously dark undertones. It is a veritable cornucopia of psychological disorders and uncomfortable moments, punctuated effectively with an ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
Murali Krishnan
Suburban America is often seen as a symbol of comfortable banality. In actuality, it is not immune to the dissatisfaction, directionlessness, and dysfunction that afflict modern life.
The film opens with an aerial view of the seeming typical and ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Murali Krishnan
Cinema em Cena (Pablo Villaça)
Mike D'Angelo
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey, "Die üblichen Verdächtigen" / "Verhandlungssache") ist der typische amerikanische Durschnittsbürger, den sein Leben nur noch langweilt. Seine Frau Carolyn (Anette Bening, "Mars Attacks", "Ausnahmezustand") tyrannisiert ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Mike D'Angelo
Reel Movie Critic (George Singleton)
Home Page Genres
American Beauty ***1/2 Rated "R"
Reviewed By George O. Singleton
Crossing the line
You may think you have control of your life because you’ve accomplished certain goals. While true, often when we get ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Reel Movie Critic (George Singleton)
Movie Mom's review
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 Movie Mom's review
Cozzi fan Tutti Reviews 'n' Rants
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 Cozzi fan Tutti Reviews 'n' Rants
Audiovideorevolution.com
When Lester introduces himself to us, he’s living a life of quiet desperation (punctuated by the occasional through-clenched-teeth warfare) in upper-middle-class suburbia with wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) and teenaged daughter Jane (Thora Birch). ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Audiovideorevolution.com
Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
Although it comes close, American Beauty is not flawless, but it’s problems are almost never character-related. Sometimes the good-looking cinematography seems a little staged. A few plot point setups are a little too coincidental. But because the ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews (Harry Knowles)
he world we live in is filled with cynicism and hate. So many that believe in nothing. People that are moving forward each day of their life without so much as a progressive step. ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews (Harry Knowles)
The Reel McCoy (Patrick McCoy)
Let me start off by stating that this review has thus far given me great trouble. It is difficult indeed to capture into words this multiheaded beast. Not difficult because I find it hard to bring forth accolades or champion this film as a great one, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at The Reel McCoy (Patrick McCoy)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Over the years, many films have taken a dark look at the supposedly perfect ideal of a white picket fence, a little house, and a nuclear family. For many, the suburban life is the American dream. For others, however, it can turn into a twisted nightmare ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Decent Films Guide - faith on film
Some movies have a moral. I say that as a mere statement of fact, with no implication that either having or not having a moral necessarily makes a movie better or worse. Some movies have a moral; American Beauty — and this is also a mere observation, ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Decent Films Guide - faith on film
Crazy for Cinema
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. It also made me laugh ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Crazy for Cinema
Xi-online
Suburbia ligt onder vuur. De Amerikaanse buitenwijk moet het de laatste jaren flink ontgelden. Was er vorig jaar de onafhankelijke film Happiness die aan het licht bracht dat bewoners van de architectonische belichaming van de Amerikaanse droom eigenlijk ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Xi-online
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
If you are the type of person who appreciates every minute of your life, then you may just enjoy this film to its fullest potential. If you are the type of person who doesn't appreciate every minute of your life or the people around you, then you may ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Rolling Stone
The fall film season kicks off in high gear with American Beauty, a comedy of shocking gravity that comes front-loaded with advance raves and Oscar talk. Now the question is: Since buzz can lead to backlash - check those Blair Witch spoilsports - can ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Rolling Stone
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
American Beauty doesn't trailblaze a path into hitherto untouched cinematic territory, but its presentation of vivid characters in interesting situations makes the story seem fresh. In part because it's not a complete downer and in part ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Wolfpack Productions (Sujit 'Chief' Chawla)
American Beauty was a wonderfully written, wonderfully acted film dealing with the lives of a few people on Robin Hood Trail in a small town somewhere in America. From the neo nazi neighbor, to the gay couple down the street, to a seemingly intact ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Wolfpack Productions (Sujit 'Chief' Chawla)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
"American Beauty," the directorial debut of Sam Mendes, the Broadway director who recently staged Nicole Kidman in "The Blue Room," is a completely assured debut, a visually extravagant, entrancingly dark comedy about how people fall apart and build ...read the complete American Beauty movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
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