American Beauty (DVD)

This film got 5 Oscars including best picture. 6 Baffas including best firm. So if you haven’t seen it yet you’re in for a very entertaining two hours. Lester Burman is a 42-year-old man who is on the verge of a mid-life crisis. The film starts by showing you him in the shower wanking off. He says “this is the high point of my day, it’s always down hill from here. He then talks about his life, saying is wife is a total ...
...are gay and his daughter Janie is a typical teenager, angry, confused he explains “I’d like to tell her these feelings will all past” then adds “but I don’t want to lie to her”. Lester’s wife and daughter think he is a total loser and go about their day just ignoring him. Lester thinks he is a loser himself but then he says “things are going to change”. His boss Brad is about to fire Lester, ...

misslook 21.06.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

An ordinary American man had a crush on his own daughter’s best friend, and began his pursuit of her, and was finally killed by his wife. This is the basic plot of this Oscar Winning film, which, if had been dealt with another director, could be potentially very successful trashy murder thriller, or even romance, but what makes this film great is that it is not made to entertain every single viewer’s preferences. Many people dislike this ...
...However, even the girl, the American Beauty is not perfect. Her beauty is merely superficial, yet she is constantly feeling extremely insecure, and constantly tries to go out with other powerful men in order to reassure herself that she is wanted. The insecurity is denied by herself, yet it is still an indication of the lack of a real personal goal, a wish to be fulfilled. There is a terrible sadness about the spiritual hollowness all the characters ...

WinsomeCh 16.03.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

I saw American Beauty on the second night it was released in the UK. Of all the most recent films I have seen this one has had the biggest impact. Why , for several reasons , first of all this is acting at its highest level, throughout the length of the film all the cast shine. There are no duff acting roles. The acting of Spacey & Benning is superb, but this is not to put down any of the other performances which still linger in my mind several weeks ...
...remain. There are scenes in American Beauty which are truly breathtaking not in a cinematic sense but merely by the way they grip the imagination, for instance when the Neighbour kisses Spacey's character, this will catch you out, it did me. This is a triumph of all aspects of fine Film drama. The story revolves around Lester ( Played by Kevin Spacey )who quits his job to find himself. Some would say because of a mid life crisis. the changes in ...

bond008 12.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

...hadn't paid much attention to American Beauty on it's initial release, it wasn't really "my kind of film". I'm more of a guns-n-monsters kind of guy, but with 5 Oscars (including best picture), 6 Baftas, terrific reviews and everyone I know going "You MUST see American Beauty!" - I thought I'd better give it a go. So I did and all I can say is that I wish I'd watched it sooner because this is not the drippy, "chick-flick" that I was half expecting, ...
... So, does the DVD of American Beauty live up to the actual film? Well, almost. Sound and picture are flawless but so they should be. 2 trailers and a reasonably thorough behind-the-scenes featurette kick things off to a good start, but the real gems are a commentary from Sam Mendes and Alan Ball which proves to be both entertaining and informative, and a storyboard presentation with commentary from Mendes and Conrad Hall which gives a fascinating ...

Howiemon 15.01.2001 (24.01.2001) · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

...is the theme running through American Beauty. From first-person perspectives, from behind windows, on the small screen of a portable mini camcorder - or a combination of any of these - Mendes straddles the fine line between probing and voyeurism, between watching and studying. The rose is significant for a number of reasons, all of them symbolic. Surreal, graceful dream sequences strewn with petals crop up at regular intervals, ever-so-subtly mixing ...
...to pique the audience's curiosity. American Beauty takes pleasure in appearing to reveal everything to the viewer, down to each character's most intimate and personal details, before pulling the rug from underneath our feet when we least expect it. Whatever is shown, "look closer" for clues to the truth, the film seems to be saying. Kevin Spacey has long become a by-word for real quality, but even he excels himself here. Never allowing his complex, ...

EnglishPatient 22.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

American Beauty is an absolutely amazing and extremely interesting film and deserved all of the oscar awards it got. It is a film about a group of people who have absolutely no similarities and how their lives strangely inter twine together. This is a definately a completely original film, with no other film with an even slightly similar story. The storyline is strangely different to most others, some people may think it is a very weird, sick and ...

Lowey 15.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

American beauty was a film that looked moderately unattractive to me. I thought it was going to be a typical American teen flick. How wrong I was. It just goes to show you that you dont know what a film is really like until you sit down and watch it. It looks at mundane suburban lives and the devastation misunderstood signals and badly interpreted situations can lead to. The film follows a couple in America. Typical family who are having problems. ...
...the squeaky-clean choir singer in American Pie. Wes Bentley is introduced into the film world as the strange boy next door who likes filming things. Good points. ------------ Its compelling watching as the plot unfolds and the characters become more wierd. The story is well thought out and makes a change from either Action or Sci Fi blockbusters. I feel the film handled some strong subjects in a good way if a little tasteless. Bad points. ----------- ...

andycharger 22.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

American Beauty is the story of one "average" family that turns out to be not so average upon closer inspection. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is an average family man, who decides one day to make some changes in his boring, uneventful life. These changes on the surface could easily fall under the category of "midlife-crisis," but when delved into deeper they are really a form of "rebirth," almost an awakening. His wife (Bening) ignores him, his ...
...full of great performances, not the least of which is Kevin Spacey;s. Do not overlook American Beauty because of the basic storyline and seemingly dull plot. It is a great film and will definitely be regarded as one of the best films of the new Millenium...right next to Fight Club. ...

Barney_Tabasco 09.02.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

I've heard mixed reviews about "American Beauty" - my best friend and her hubby watched it and thought it was a waste of money, mine watched it and thought it was "an ok movie". He said he could understand where the thoughts of the character played by Kevin Spacey, were at. This is a male mid-life crisis movie, and with hubby being 36 and having one of his own, I suppose that leads to the understanding of the main person here - where some of us just ...
...pretty well acted, and said that basically the guy had everything but felt that he had nothing, so he blackmails his boss ("screws the guy over"was how he put it ) and gets a settlement even as he loses his job. He looks back at his romance with his wife, when they were young, and desperately wants to recapture the spontaneity of those times - and one attempt leads to her rebuttal because he is trying to make love to her on their expensive couch ...

poet831 07.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

I was in two minds about this, as I thought it might just be another one of those mid life crisis films. There is an impressive range of actors in this, including Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. The performances they give are very good and the story itself is full of both humour and pathos. Bening and Spacey play husband and wife with a teenage daughter. The marriage is not going very well, with both partners being frustrated sexually and generally. ...
...estate king played by Peter Gallagher (he of 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' and 'Brave New World'). This gives her a new lease of life, for a time. One of the best scenes in the movie is when she is discovered with Gallagher at a fast food drive in by spacey who has taken to working there after giving up his job. The affair is terminated and Bening starts going on a downward spiral. Spacey has packed in his job with the advertising agency (a familiar ...

oclumhain 24.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

I thought that this movie was absolutley brilliant and pure gold. It was altogether a weird storyline and completely weird characters all mixed together in a sort of comedy drama that has you wondering what exactly is going to happen next! Kevin Spacey gives a killer performance and everyone in the movie is just brilliant. Some have said that this movie isn't very good, but compared to others out there, this one is definitely worth winning some top ...
...mid-life crisis, or stuck in a rut, and he's sexually frustrated with his wife as well as hating his job and having a terrible family life. He feels that he is a loser, that is until he sees his daughter's friend at a school basketball game and he becomes infatuated with her and eveything turns upside down from there. There are some classic moments which I will not spoil for you but I definitely reccomend seeing it! ...

Saqqqq 12.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

...is set in an average american street in an average home, and the point of this is that from the outside we see them as a normal family, doing ordinary things in their lives, but it takes just a small look closer to realise that they are by no means happy with there seeming ordinary life. This is the whole point of the film and works very well. Characters: Lester Burnham the father of the family is going through a mid-life crisis, finally realising ...
...life, and sets out to change things. This is set off by a new boss and then fueled by his attraction to his daughters best friend. Carolyn, his wife, is drastically trying to be a success in her job, but failing miserably. Like Lester she has lost a grip on what is important in life and is trying desparately to succeed in her job and keep the family together. Their daughter, Jane, is growing up and looking around for role models and trying to find ...

meday 17.08.2001 (24.08.2001) · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

One of the most fantastic directorial debuts that you are likely to see. A wonderfully refreshing film, that stands tall amongst the dross that Hollywood has been heaping out since the early eighties. Probably no coincidence that the director is British and from a theatre background. The performances are outstanding, and i find myself struggling to single out any one member of the cast for particular praise. The story itself, concerning one mans ...
...is one of the bravest screenplays for a very long time, dealing with many difficult issues, haunting you long after you've finished the film, causing you to ask questions of yourself. The direction is superb, rarely innovative, but incredibly involving, drawing you in deeper and deeper, until you find yourself totally immersed in what is, at once, a very real look at life, and then complete fantasy. The cinematography is wonderful, showing off ...

dadmancat 28.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

...sorry :O( I saw American Beauty when it was first released at the cinema in the UK. I was totally awestruck by the wonderful filmmaking and the very evocative score. The performances from the entire cast are of the highest standard and it was most definitely my 'film of the year'. Last night I watched the film on my VCR, and I have to say that I felt that it lost a lot of its impact. The story is still great, the performances wonderful - but it ...
...Suspects’) as Lester Burnham, an American guy who is going through something of a ‘mid-life crisis’. We follow him through his suburban existence as his life takes dramatic changes from the ‘norm’, until his ultimate death. Now that is not a spoiler for all of you have yet to watch the movie, as this is explained right from the start of the film. I had no idea of the plot outlines when I saw this film for the first time, ...

redridinghood 12.02.2001 (07.03.2001) · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)

...lives of a dysfunctional surburbian American family. I found this film strange yet compelling. It showed how a family try to show that they are a good family unit, yet behind the scenes there is all kinds of deceit and betrayal. The film stars Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning and Mena Suvari. After watching this film I realised why it had won numerous oscars. On the outside the film does not really make much sense. However once you delge deep into the ...

BestyWesty 08.09.2000 · Read full review
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Review of American Beauty (DVD)