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American Beauty

Play trailer 2:53 Poster for American Beauty R 1999 2h 2m Comedy Romance Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 192 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Fed up with his boring, stagnant existence, he quits his job and decides to reinvent himself as a pot-smoking, responsibility-shirking teenager. What follows is at once cynical, hysterical, and, eventually, tragically uplifting.
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American Beauty

American Beauty

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Critics Consensus

Flawlessly cast and brimming with dark, acid wit, American Beauty is a smart, provocative high point of late '90s mainstream Hollywood film.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Clinton (CNN.com) CNN.com Feb 22, 2015
American Beauty is deeply disturbing, acerbically funny, brilliantly acted, breathtakingly original and highly sophisticated. Go to Full Review
Ann Hornaday Baltimore Sun Feb 22, 2015
4/4
A tightly coiled rage seethes beneath the pretty surface of American Beauty, a wickedly funny black comedy directed by newcomer Sam Mendes. Go to Full Review
Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune Feb 22, 2015
This is Spacey's best performance since he took home an Oscar for The Usual Suspects. Go to Full Review
Nicolás Medina Peliplat May 10, 2025
10/10
In a world increasingly obsessed with appearance and superficiality, the film reminds us that the important thing was, and will be to look closer and find beauty in truth and authenticity. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Mark Johnson Awards Daily Jun 14, 2023
With its clever and thought-provoking exploration of middle-class life, American Beauty continues to ignite conversations and debates, setting it apart from many other films Go to Full Review
Joanna Connors Cleveland Plain Dealer Feb 4, 2022
[It's] a movie that years from now will end up on the lists of greatest movies ever made. It's a complete original, at once hugely entertaining and deeply thoughtful, combining comedy, tragedy and philosophy in surprising and gratifying ways. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Starlyn U @starlynuv 6 hrs ago Really nice and amazing movie, well said and talked through it, a bit of unknown and unexpected ending when I learned he was killed by the neihgbord, but sure if because of jelousy or so the world didnt know he was gay. See more Huntin P @PaxVobiscum80 17 hrs ago Reportedly, this movie's reputation has declined since its Y2K fame. Is that true, or is it just because Spacey's reputation got torpedoed? For the record, I think he's now been vindicated. Whatever. He's a great actor and always was. Is this a great movie? No, it isn't. But it gets some fine performances. It's one of those movies that thinks it is cleverer than it really is. I remember the trailer, the bit where the lad says, "Sometimes, there's so much beauty, in the world, feel like I can't take it!" The audiences laughed, thinking it was a gag. But it isn't. It's maudlin sincerity. The movie is better when it is being funny, and it frequently is funny. The earnestness is its weakness. But definitely worth seeing once. See more Mark B @Burrellius 3 days ago I watched this on Blu-ray at home recently, having not watched it since it it was released. There are some uncomfortable scenes for sure, but it is a fantasic, challenging and thought provoking film with some fabulous acting. The choice of music is great too. It is a masterpiece and a worthy oscar winning film that I definitely recommend. See more Sacha K @RT58626777 Sep 12, 2026 An absolute masterpiece , only one man could’ve directed this , Sam Mendes , . Lester’s Marraige falling apart, While he becomes more connected to himself and starts becoming more happy, while his Wife. Carolyn a struggling real estate agent cheating on Lester with another real estate agent , Buddy, The colonel frank fitz realizing his sexuality, and his mother slowly developing dementia, and Finnaly Janey in a constant enviornment of fighting while having her friend Angela By her side, all of it the ending is a beautiful and a tragedy , Lester’s obsession with going back to his teenage years while having a sexual fantasy of Angela Hayes, there’s just so much happening and It is showed in such a perfect and beautiful way, also showing Suburban Rot, it’s all beautiful the characters , the cinematography , the dialogue , the emotion , the flow, the realism , this is a film not a movie , and I think everyone should watch it atleast once if they have not , this movie swept the Oscar’s See more Martin S @Martin007 Aug 31, 2026 One of the best movies of all time. Its kinda disturbing but the acting and the phylosophy behind it are one of a kind. The storytell is amazing. And its something all of us pass through at one point of our lives. Someone less someone more. Good movie, great mindset See more Valentino C @RT68062798 Jul 24, 2026 It's Pedophilia, the movie. This is one of the most disgusting, miserable experiences I've ever had in my life watching this movie. I would've been surprised that this film predicted how we feel about Kevin Spacey as a person. The Green Mile should've won best picture over this asinine film. See more Read all reviews
American Beauty

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Movie Info

Synopsis Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a gainfully employed suburban husband and father. Fed up with his boring, stagnant existence, he quits his job and decides to reinvent himself as a pot-smoking, responsibility-shirking teenager. What follows is at once cynical, hysterical, and, eventually, tragically uplifting.
Director
Sam Mendes
Producer
Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
Screenwriter
Alan Ball
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG
Production Co
DreamWorks Pictures, Jinks/Cohen Company
Rating
R (Language|Drug Content|Strong Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Comedy, Romance, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$130.1M
Runtime
2h 2m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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