American Beauty (DVD) > Reviews

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...on the academy award winning American Beauty, starring Kevin Spacey. Now im actually a really big Spacey fan, some of his work including The Usual Suspects and K PAX have been some of his best work. He has the knack of just making you admire what ever character he plays, he has a sort of presence that makes you feel this film is going to be powerful. He has a humorous side, he can play a dark side you name it, I even liked his recent portrayal of ... Read review

Advantages: Spacey, the story, oh and everything
Disadvantages: None

...is an amazing depiction of American life and the generation gap and despair at the passing of life, but at the same time a reassuring promise that the maturity of age has its own benefits. So when your paunch is sagging, and your heart sags more heavily, just think of this masterpiece and the startling performance and renaissance of Kevin Spacey. When it takes you all night to do what you used to do all night.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kevin ... Read review

Advantages: Life like characters caught in the quicksand of social chaos
Disadvantages: Language, drug content

...first shot of the movie American Beauty, is very placid and looking harmless. The image is a very desirable one for any town. But below this camouflage of living in decency, one can feel the tense palpable heart throbs, a fearfulness and an imbalance. It is said that beauty is skin deep, but American Beauty nudges deep through to the marrow of American society and explores its spirit. Sam Mendes, the debutant director, very fresh from his experience ... Read review

Advantages: great extras - a great DVD of a great film
Disadvantages: none

...Region 2 DVD version of American Beauty since late June, when I got it as a birthday present from my sister. After having had a disappointing viewing of the DVD of Peter’s Friends, which whilst being a great film, even if tinged with sadness and the characters are about as incompatible with one another as they come, I moved on to American Beauty. And before I realised I had watched several times in a period of days. I do not intend to mention that ... Read review

Advantages: An excellent film, with so many qualities inside
Disadvantages: characters are sometimes over the top but no loss to the films magic

American Beauty… A film portraying the sad misfortunes of a typical American family.. A film of strong sometimes too true to life undercurrents, yet portrayed to the viewer as an almost zany, dry humoured ironic view of life as we know it. Kevin Spacey portrays Leicester Burnham, a sad pathetic example of a man, who now at 42, suddenly realises his life is in a shambles and the mid life crisis starts to affect his reasoning. The basis ... Read review

Advantages: Deep, with hidden ideas and meanings, and a great ending
Disadvantages: A bit stereotypical in places

American Beauty is a modern-day classic film, showing how restraining and boring suburban life in America can be, and how one man shows us how he breaks free. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is stuck in a boring job under a boss he hates, has taken to masturbating in the shower because his wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), isn't sexually relieving him, and he finds himself hated by his daughter. He becomes with his stale, repetitive existence. Lester ... Read review

Advantages: It's excellent
Disadvantages: It's not for under 25's

American Beauty is not what expected. It goes way beyond what I’d hoped for from one of the most hyped movies of the last few years. I’d imagined it to be a standard tale of mid life crisis, with a man falling for his daughters beautiful friend. That does happen, kind of, but it’s an itsy bitsy tiny part of the movie. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is our hero, and our anti hero, and the character that makes us squirm uncomfortably in our seats ... Read review

Advantages: Amazing story, cinematography, acting...
Disadvantages: None

...that could be in any American suburb, and with Kevin Spacey narrating in a calm and confident manner. Kevin Spacey (Usual Suspects, Seven, LA Confidential) is Lester Burnham, he is a man with a nagging wife (Annette Bening, Grifters, Bugsy), a sullen, contemptuous teenage daughter (Thora Birch, Hocus Pocus, Patriot Games) and a boring job. This family’s life is thrown into turmoil by Lester’s midlife crisis and fascination with his ... Read review

Advantages: A very compelling story of real life
Disadvantages: Very sexual at times (not graphical)

...success (for me anyway) was American beauty. With its realistic portrayal of today's society and its stark portrayal of a shattered family the movie move me in many ways. <The Movie> Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham; he is a successful family man who suddenly begins to lose his sense of stability as he realizes how stagnant and repetitive his life has become. With a voice-over technique we immediately find out that this is the last day ... Read review

Advantages: Great film, brilliant cast, excellent direction
Disadvantages: None

...small suburban town in America, American Beauty is about the lives of what appear to be normal and ordinary people from the outside except are quite far from that in reality. The story focuses around Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) Lester Burnham superbly played by Spacey begins his “mid-life crisis” as he slowly descends into a life of soft drugs, fast cars and a taste for younger women though ... Read review

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Winner of 5 Oscars and 6 Baftas this movie is one which nonetheless seems to have people pretty much divided over how they feel about it. In all honesty, there isn't that much which actually goes on here in terms of plot and action, but it is the characterisation, the interplay between the characters and the delightful script and observations which carry it through ad make it well worthy of these awards in my opinion. It focuses on a family, in ... Read review

Advantages: Technically superb - great script and acting
Disadvantages: But to be honest I didn't really enjoy it

American Beauty* won five Oscars, including best film, and had quite a reputation, yet it was only last night I first saw it at a friend’s birthday, and it wasn’t at all what I expected. The film was nothing like I imagined and, to be honest, seemed slightly disappointing given all the hype, but I’ll come to that later. *** Plot (no spoilers) *** Lester Burnham is stuck in a midlife rut. He’s reduced to masturbating in ... Read review