Rating: 
Summary: By far, the best film of 1999...
Review: "American Beauty" is the story of people who've given up their dreams, their very inner selves, for a lifestyle. To a certain extent, my fellow readers, that describes each and every one of us, and that's what makes this film so haunting and effective. There's a little of each of us in these characters. Anyone who lives in a fairly affluent suburban neighborhood knows people like the Annette Bening character, who prunes red roses with matching red shoes and gardening tools, and who is so uptight about her Martha Stewart-wannabe lifestyle that she won't fool around on the couch (God forbid they stain it). And, yes, I see a lot of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) in just about all of my neighbors, and in myself. How often have we wanted to shuck our jobs, smoke dope all day, buy a red 1971 Firebird, and chase cute young thangs? We all have, folks...fess up. The difference is that most of us never act on it; Lester does, and though it's a pure, adolescent prank at first, it eventually becomes something of a trip of self-discovery that leads indirectly to Lester's undoing. It takes guts to do what you want to do, folks, and sometimes you pay the price, which Lester does...with his life. And although Lester reconnects with himself by the end of his life, he never reconnects with his wife (I suspect he doesn't want to), or his daughter, a girl so desperate for meaning and guidance that it's painful to watch. "American Beauty" is hypnotic for a reason - to one extent or another, it shows us OUR lives. How can one not fail to be hypnotized by our lives on the big screen? How can you not wish you had the guts to do what Lester does? Some have criticized this film for its cynical view of suburbia, but I see it as a challenge to move beyond typical concepts of happiness - all of which revolve around money and belongings in our culture - and decide what's really important for you. I find that message uplifting.
Rating: 
Summary: I can' t get this DVD to play!
Review: I have tried with two different discs to get this DVD to play in my Toshiba DVD player. I have never had any problems with any other discs, including discs that were skipping in other players. This disc will not load and the player says "Check Disc." My player is not DTS equiped. All of the copies I have seen have the DTS sound. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone have a solution?
Rating:
Summary: Look closer...
Review: This film is a brilliant piece of art that is warranted so mainly due to the writing. I've watched this film five times already and see something new in it each time. (Look closer) The cinematography is beautiful and the characters are composed of eerily believable qualities. (They could be YOU) Kevin Spacey's portrayal of a forty-somthing in the midst of a mid-life crisis is hilarious and the events that follow leading to his epiphany is a collage of bittersweet, comedy with a little mystery added in for good measure. The DVD is packed with features including a behind the scenes "making of" and a DVD rom feature that I have not yet accessed. I have found no easter eggs. This film is subtitled for the hearing impaired.
Rating: 
Summary: often shattering view of American life
Review: If you've ever wondered what life was really like in the Ozzie and Harriet household after the cameras stopped rolling, "American Beauty" might well afford you a good indication. Although this is certainly not the first glimpse into the dark underbelly of modern suburban life - films like "Ordinary People" and "Blue Velvet" long ago shattered any myths about the subject - "American Beauty" is clearly one of the grimmest and least compromising. Writer Alan Ball and director Sam Mendes paint a disturbing portrait of a family and a neighborhood in serious moral crisis. They transport us on an often painful journey to a world whose residents lead lives of quiet desperation cozily hidden behind the tranquil façade of tree-lined streets, white picket fences and exquisitely manicured lawns and gardens - a neighborhood and, perhaps, even a family not too unlike some of our own. In his Oscar-winning performance, Kevin Spacey stars as Lester, a 42-year old man suffering a major case of mid-life angst, stuck, like so many other men in his age bracket, in both a dreary, meaningless job and a dreary, meaningless marriage, in his case to a consumer-conscious wife whose personality has long since been drained of the passion and spontaneity that once defined it. Lester also has an alienated teenage daughter who suffers from feelings of worthlessness and a consequent inability to relate in any positive way to either her parents or the materialistic life they have made for her. Feeling utterly empty, Lester begins to become infatuated with his daughter's beautiful blonde schoolmate, an obsession that leads to pedophilic fantasies as well as tortured feelings of unrequited passion. What is remarkable about the film is that Ball and Mendes don't concentrate merely on Lester's problems but manage to weave a full tapestry of suburban despair by shifting their focus to a wide assortment of other characters as well. Many of the secondary characters, who could easily have slipped over into stereotype or caricature, actually are allowed to breathe and develop in three-dimensional ways. Thus, we come to understand that, in her own way, Carolyn, Lester's wife, is just as unfulfilled as he is and just as unsure of how to cope with that bewildering situation. Jane, his daughter, is just a good-hearted kid who craves affection and moral guidance from parents who seem too self-possessed or too emotionally burnt-out to provide her with those needs. Like so many of today's youth, she suffers from feelings of inadequacy because she doesn't measure up to society's view of ideal physical perfection - her main goal in life is to undergo breast augmentation - and she really only wants to find someone who will love and accept her on a deeper, more spiritual level. This she finds in the form of Ricky Fitts, her strangely "different" next-door neighbor, a boy who spends his life filming his experiences and whose amazing self-confidence and self-assurance inspire others to label him psychotic and Jane to fall in love with him. Ricky is, perhaps, the most controversial element of the film because his blatant drug dealing never seems to come under any moral censure by the film's makers. After all, at least Lester eventually backs off from his planned conquest of Angela, the seeming nymphet, at the last moment. She also is revealed as a complex character, a girl so afraid of being "ordinary" that she devises an entirely fictional persona to present to a world that, ironically, really doesn't care about her anyway. In a way, Angela defines the theme of the film, in that it seems to suggest that there really is no such thing as "ordinary" in terms of human existence and that we all spend our lives in a fruitless attempt to achieve or at least replicate it. Of the entire cast of characters, Ricky's father, a homophobic, hardnosed ex-Marine, perhaps suffers from the worst case of just such self-denial and emotional repression. Thus, he becomes the device through which the final tragic outcome is eventually set into motion. All involved - writer, director, actors, cinematographer Conrad Hall - deserve immense kudos for their moral courage and their technical expertise. Still, one begins to wonder if all these thoroughly dire views of suburban life are really any more true or accurate than the preposterously sunny portrayals of the 1950's. Isn't it possible that the truth may - as with all aspects of life - lie somewhere in between? "American Beauty" takes us to a particular place filled with a particular group of people. As a result, it is safe to say that, while it provides "a" vision of modern suburban life, it is yet to be shown that it provides "the" definitive vision. Like all great art, it offers only a part of the overall picture - but that part, in this particular case, is profoundly disturbing and truly unforgettable.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie but incomplete DVD
Review: Several people have commented about missing elements on this DVD. If you listen to the commentary audio track, there are several mentions of the outtakes. Oddly enough, they are missing from the DVD. It is also painful to navigate to specific scenes. All in all, the DVD looks slapped together.
Rating:
Summary: You'll Either Love It Or Hate It!
Review: I am one that loved it!! Annette Bening (need I say more) and Kevin Spacey deliver stellar performances. An interesting tale of two people that completely lost themselves somewhere in their lives. At least rent it and see for yourself. I hope you'll be as pleased as I was!
Rating:
Summary: American Beauty-A rather "ordinary" DVD.
Review: Although American Beauty is a terrific film, I am giving this DVD 3 stars because of annoying technical problems and the overall feeling that this disc was put together rushed and incomplete. These problems were confirmed on 3 different DVD players. I know this isn't a "special edition", but still, there could have been more to this release. The graphics work on the box and the disc itself is simple, nothing to get excited over. There is no booklet included, just a simple pamphlet with an introduction by the director. As for the film itself, I think it's wonderful, with excellent characters portrayed by great actors. OK, so, when I popped the DVD into my player, I was greeted by a screen asking me to pick the audio I prefer. Where is the MAIN menu? Where is the choice for 2 channel Dolby? Anyway, I chose 5.1 channel. It then went through the Dreamworks logo and THEN it went to the main menu. Huh? The main menu now gave you the choice of 2 channel Dolby. I was confused. Was this a problem with the disc? Did the producers want it this way? Personally, when I put a DVD in my player, I want to be greeted by the MAIN menu. OK, enough of that. As for the picture quality, the widescreen image is excellent. Colors are vibrant throughout the film, and the excellent cinematography is beautiful to watch. However, I noticed during the first 8 minutes of the film, that the extreme left side of the frame was dirty. Black spots were noticeable during this period. This is probably not due to the DVD transfer, but it is a problem with the films negative. (Am I being too technical?) If this WAS a problem during the DVD transfer, I hope this will be fixed. The sound was quite pleasing. The music and dialogue were recorded beautifully. The DVD is not an amazing sound experience to test your home system with, but overall, the sound is pristine with beautiful atmosphere and crisp. clean dialogue. The musical score sounded amazing. The supplemental material is less then thrilling. It includes 2 trailers, audio commentary by the dirrector and writer, cast and crew info and production notes. The DVD has audio commentary during a storyboard sequence by the director and cinematographer. This storyboard sequence was disappointing because it was a bunch of static pictures with voice-overs, not a video sequence. It got boring rather quickly. The DVD does have some behind the scenes footage and interviews in a segment called "American Beauty, A Closer Look." (not much behind the scenes footage, but some...I would liked to have seen more.) The DVD also contains CD-ROM material for your PC. In conclusion, I would recommend this DVD only if you enjoyed the film in the theater, or if you've seen it and want to rent it. If you are looking for a DVD packed with tons of extras, I'd wait for a "special edition" of this film, hopefully containing tons of extras like deleted scenes, more behind the scenes footage, voice-overs by cast members, interviews, etc. The film itself is wonderful, but this DVD is rather "ordinary."
Rating:
Summary: A true beauty
Review: I must say that this movie is just amazing. Words alone can't describe it, but I'll try. The perfromances are stellar all around. You feel like you know at least one of the characters and that maybe that is your dad, or maybe you had/have a friend like that in high school. I know the first time I saw it I said "I 'know' that person. The plot is so simple and yet complex at the same time. The people start off one dimensional but by the end they have evolved and turned 180 degrees, but I don't really want to go on about the movie. I want to talk about the disc. The two previews are great. After watching them I felt like playing the Who. The narrations are really top notch. I do wish one or two of the actors (Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning) were on it but at least we got Alan Ball to talk about his script, as well as the director. The little documentary was cool too. I do wish there was more but, we still got plenty on this disc.
Rating:
Summary: You need to see this movie
Review: I don't know why anyone would say this film was anything but excellent. I was skeptical at first, but I was sold after viewing this movie. Kevin Spacy's performance is incredible, and the cinematography throughout this tornado of emotions ties the narritive together. This movie works for any age level. Parents and teens can both identify with the characters. That's the beauty of this movie. I highly recommend this movie. If you haven't seen it yet, you need go out and watch it today.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dissenting Opinion
Review: This smug satire makes its tired little points against all the obvious targets - middle class hypocrites, homophobes, and uptight squares of all ages. Filmed in a slow, narcoticized rhythm that gives it the appearance of being deep and artistic, it predictably won a slew of Academy Awards. But there's more wit, insight, and true satire in any 10 minutes of "The Simpsons." p.s. One major scene involving weightlifting and a bong has to be the single stupidest plot twist in movie history.
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