American Beauty (DVD) > Reviews

Advantages: Beautifully made film and great performances.
Disadvantages: Might be a little slow for some, special features not brilliant.

...plays Lester; a middle aged American male, who lives a supposedly rosy life in the suburbs with his all-american wife Carolyn(Bening) and reclusive daughter Jane (Birch). But all of the normality becomes boring to him, and things dont seem to be as perfect as he thought they were before. Is it just a mid-life crisis? After meeting Angela, a friend of Janes at a school basketball game, he becomes completely besotted by her beauty and confidence. ... Read review

Advantages: Superb acting, great humour.
Disadvantages: Not 100% masterful.

The dry comedy is first class and Kevin Spacey turns in the kind of brilliant performance that we have come to expect of him, but Annette Benning also puts up a fine show. Clever humour, occasionally impressive direction and excellent acting, this one is certainly worth a watch. It is also pretty original, maybe not as completely 'out-there' and masterful as The Matrix or Fight Club, but it should be mentioned as one of the twenty best films of the ... Read review

Advantages: very dark film, moe than a chick flick
Disadvantages: lack of plot

This follows a year in the life of 2 dysfunctional suburban families, starting with knowing that the father, Kevin Spacey, will die and ending with him dead. It explores the relationships between all the main protaganists and how in most cases the middle class gloss of suburbia hides dark secrets of drug dealing, sex with minors, wife beating and extramarital affairs. All the actors give excellant performances and the film is excellantly produced ... Read review

Advantages: A film I cannot fault. Cannot really do the film justice in words.
Disadvantages: none

...a lot of hype concerning American Beauty, but unlike films such as Blair Witch Project, it answered it with a truly memorable, thought-provocing, brilliant and totally original film. I always look forward to any film with Kevin Spacey in the cast list because, in my opinion, he is the best actor in the world, and I have never seen him in a bad film. American Beauty is 100% original and makes you go away thinking about your existance from a completely ... Read review

Advantages: the director's commentary, the trailers, the featurette, the storyboards - all offer great insights into the film
Disadvantages: some deleted scenes would have made the dvd better

There's nothing I can say about this film that hasn't been said already so instead I'll concentrate on the features of the DVD. One of the most talked about features is the commentary by director Sam Mendes and screenplayer Alan Ball offering some fascinating insights into the film. My one criticism of it would be that Mendes barely lets Ball get a word in, a shame as Ball seems very interesting. There's also a featurette with a few interviews ... Read review

Advantages: all of it
Disadvantages: none of it

...the end.this film shows an american family warts and all and doesnt fail to deliver.jane lester(thora birch's character) seems to hate her life for real and when her new neighbor moves in she finds someone to share her inner pain despite him bieng a drug dealer and having a manic father and very sick mother. it has a great twist at the end and defintly a great film to watch ... Read review

Advantages: Incredible, directorial magic with a stunning theme
Disadvantages: none

...win the popular accolades that American Beauty has basked in. This multi-award winning film directed by Sam Mendes has recently come out on video in the UK and i suggest anyone who missed it in the cinema should catch the opportunity to see it. The film opens on a seeming utopian suburban american family. As we begin to see the cracks in this facade, Mendes's skill begins to come to the fore. His directing weaves the storyline, with a message that ... Read review

Advantages: Kevin Spacey, original story line.
Disadvantages: N/A

When I first heard about this film, I immediately thought of black beauty, that series invloving a black horse. Well, wasn't I wrong, this film has nothing to do with black beauty or any horse for that matter. This film revolves around one sub-urban man's quest through his mid-life crisis. Lester Burnham (played by Kevin Spacey) is married to Carolyn (played by Annette Bening), she is very unhappy with her marriage. She is an estate agent and believes ... Read review

Advantages: see text
Disadvantages: see text

This film has been so immoderately praised that it is time, perhaps, for a more sober assessment. And when you get below the hype there is not much here to get excited about. Take the acting. Kevin Spacey does not act particularly well in this film, in fact he hardly acts at all - he walks through the part, looking every bit as smug as he does when interviewed. To suggest that this role merited an Oscar is to lose any sense of what acting is all about. ... Read review

Advantages: Great Actors, Directing, Screenplay
Disadvantages: None

There's something special about "American Beauty" that's hard to pinpoint. I don't think I've ever seen a film with such a great ensemble of actors - everyone is perfectly cast, from Kevin Spacey's eerily lovable Lester, to Annette Bening's loopy real-estate broker Carolyn, to Thora Birch's hauntingly disenchanted Jane. And the Fitts family...whew. Don't even want to go there. It's one of many films lately dealing with the disparity between appearances ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent acting, directing, storyline...the list goes on!
Disadvantages: none

This movie is an absolute classic. I have watched it numerous times, and every time I feel as entertained and emotionally moved as the last. The movie is extremely thought provoking, to the extent that you will most probably find yourself re-evaluating your life as a result of it! The plot: 'I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up...' American Beauty tells the story of Lester, played by the legendary ... Read review

Very well made piece of cinema. Kevin spacey plays a man in a midlife crisis to perfection. This is very thought provoking film made in a very artistic manner. Brilliant plot twist at the end. A haunting movie.