Rating: 
Summary: One Title: Many Stories
Review: It's interesting to read the opinion of others about this film.
I perceive the movie as a fabulous multi-faceted work of art. Since I purchased the DVD, each time I observe something new, different and exciting. I believe it accurately depicts the "human tragedy" that we do not or will not accept as a part of our lives.
I highly recommend the film because [American] "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
Rating:
Summary: "...And in a way, I am dead already."
Review: "American Beauty" is a pure cinematic triumph that is both funny and sad. It's disturbing... and yet, it's extremely provocative and deep. The film is an extraordinary achievement that reveals a tragic and realistic story about a family that is anything but ordinary. It's a film with so many layers that it is almost impossible to dissect them all in one single thought.Meet Lester Burnham; a man who feels like he's completely dead inside. His wife and daughter despise him and do not show him any signs of respect. On the surface, the family seems like a picture-perfect family that everybody dreams about--but inside is a completely different matter. His wife is obsessed with material possessions and doesn't care for "petty" things like love or life, while his daughter resents herself because she isn't "perfect." Lester's mental coma is rudely interrupted when he meets his daughter's friend and starts fantasizing about her. The awakening might be due to a disturbing thought or feeling, but the wake-up call changes Lester and allows him to realize that there's always time to erase his "forced-image" and be the person he really is. This is all a set-up for a funny, disturbing and tragic movie. I don't know about everybody else, but my mind was literally racing around when this movie was playing before my eyes. It's one of those films that allows you to pick up on something different upon each viewing. As I said in the beginning of the review, this film has a number of layers to it. There's so many different meanings and points to the film that it is nearly impossible to describe them all in one little review. Besides, the fun part of the movie is discovering these meanings and points for yourself. You know a film is successful when you totally lose yourself to it and allow it to challenge you in every way. The film is crafted flawlessly and doesn't have a wasted minute in it. The acting from Kevin Spacey is really a sight to see. He gives his character all of the right needs and feelings that is necessary for the authenticity of his role. You don't even look at him as an actor--but as the real person he portrays. It is certainly a milestone in his acting career that will continue to be remembered throughout all cinematic history. Annette Bening is also superb in her role and brings life to her character, as well. Everybody in the film should be applauded, as they all make the film what it is. The DVD has some neat features to offer. The picture quality is fantastic and the sound is more than great. You have the option of watching the movie in DTS if your system is able to play it. Extras included are commentary from the director and writer, a behind-the-scenes featurette, cast and crew biographies, trailers and more. While I wouldn't had mind a Two-Disc edition of the movie, this is a pretty impressive package overall. "American Beauty" is a breath-taking masterpiece with a very high replay value. It's a terrific film on every front and does not disappoint for a single second. While it's not a movie that everybody will like, it's most certainly one to check out if you are a lover of films. If you're looking for something that isn't so ordinary, then this may be the chance that you are seeking. I feel that it is a unique and superb film that is very hard to express in words--you'll just have to experience it for yourself. -Michael Crane
Rating:
Summary: best of the year
Review: This is one of the best directed movies of it's decade. Mendes and Hall were a perfect team as filmmakers. The movie is such a scathing picture of life in suburban America that it's almost hard to watch on first viewing. All of the acting is stellar. And, look for one of the most underappreciated bit performances in movie history; the girl who says, "You were only in Seventeen once, and you looked fat..." The director's commentary on the DVD is a great way to better appreciate the movie, and learn a lot about filmmaking. Out of 10 it's a 10.
Rating: 
Summary: Beauty - vs. - Ref
Review: With so many reviews, I guess the core materials have been covered. So, into the fray! American Beauty was much hailed, but Ref, essentially an earlier concept of the same movie, went unrecognized, due to its comedic classification. The Ref utilized some of the same cast members, whose performance there, I felt, was superior. Despite the show's sometimes goofy presentation, the issues and emotions had far more depth than the later release. Too, Beauty had a preachy quality, telling you how to live your life. The Ref, doesn't really tell you how; it just says you can't control everything that happens to you - deal with it. Furthermore, Beauty had a flitty feel (perhaps a result of the repetitious musical cues), simply inhanced by one-dimensional characters, who never really connect. The Ref's characters are very similar, on a basic level; and yet, they not only connect, they clash painfully. Even the insignificant townsfolk have layers of unexplored realism. These people are forced to confront their issues, to learn and grow. Beauty's people, on the other hand, seem to drift even further into their own isolated misery, spiting the movies intended message. Leary's role in The Ref is multi fold. Primarily, he is the catalyst of change and the voice of chaos - little effort on his part. Ultimately, while his humor may have removed the film from any Oscar contentions, it also gives the viewer a much needed stress release valve. The drama there is so intense, you get the idea that this family would happily choke the life out of each other. When (like me) Leary goes off on a rant, anger is displaced with negative jocularity, creating an antithetical surrealism. It's like being comforted by the fact that your buddies laugh at you for doing something stupid. The "ref" both makes and breaks the movie. I will concede this however; had I not seen The Ref, my opinion of American Beauty would be higher. You know how it is; everything is relative - good is only good until there is something better (but in this case, better came first).
Rating:
Summary: A true cinematic classic and as good as the hype.
Review: If you haven't already seen American Beauty, and are weary of the now-toxic levels of hype surrounding it, then you may be best served by moving on. Nothing short of watching the movie itself will truly convince you anyway. But let me just reiterate: it is as good as the hype says it is.
First off, let me say how gratified I was that this movie walked away with lots of Oscars. It was like seeing the Good Guys win after a hard-fought battle, and something that happens all-too infrequently. I need only remind readers of the 10-nomination, zero-statue snub of Gangs of New York in 2003 (which I still find incomprehensible) as a reminder of how rare it is that a deserving mainstream hit drama gets an Oscar.
What I find amazing is how affecting this movie is without any truly sympathetic adult characters. Kevin Spacey's Lester goes from downtrodden sod to pedophilic, blackmailing, unemployed, pot-smoking man-child/id. Annette Bening's Carolyn is the materialistic, status-grubbing matron-harpy. Chris Cooper, meanwhile, is the uber-hard-edged stereotypical military-guy, Allison Janney is a ghost, and Scott Bakula and Sam Robards are almost invisible.
All this is true, yet you still root for Spacey's Lester as he cashes in, shapes up and smokes out. We yearn with Bening for something to take her away from the somehow painful numbness that is her life as she knows it. The moral stands taken by Cooper's Colonel Fitts, although wrongheaded in many respects, are the only ones in the film, and as a result make him the somehow-praiseworthy moral center. Add to this Mena Suvari as your local despicable it-girl and Wes Bentley as the voyeuristic drug dealer next door, and what you are left with is Thora Birch as the only true, if disaffected, innocent in the film.
Yet some of the magic of the flm lies not so much in its content, as its comment on its viewers. Just what kind of people are we, to root for a man, even as he blackmails his company, buys drugs from his daughter's boyfriend and dreams about seducing her other best friend, all in the name of "finding himself"? What does it say about us in that we find him lovable? And in a medium where not walking out and demanding a refund can be classified as acceptance, how much more so is both a huge box office take and multiple Oscars? Yes, this film has truly lived up to the hype of exposing the dark side of suburbia, but the exposure is not on screen, but in our own hearts.
The remainder of this film's magic? That we neither squirmed nor flinched, but instead took it to heart with no questions asked.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Great Spacey Movie
Review: This was a great movie although one could do without the nudity it still was funny and had a good story it told what life is like behind the walls of the seemingly perfect family. The premise is that this man Lester (Kevin Spacey) wants to change his life and goes through all sorts of changes begins to work out after meeting Angela (Mena Suvari) his daughter Jane's (Thora Birch) friend from school. At the same time his wife begins to want change as well and begins to take even more control over her life than she had before. No matter how happy they are making themselves can they ever be a family again. I would recommend this movie to people who are mature enough to handle nudity, language, and sexual content I am not setting an age for that because age does not have as much to do with it as maturity does. I hope that this review has helped you in making a decision about this film.
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Summary: Alternative Mainstream
Review: This is not that new. It`s just an independent movie overhyped to the extreme. It`s not that challenging, either, since "Fight Club" did this kind of stuff much better, and earlier. Not to say it`s bad, since there are some good elements to find here. The direction by Sam Mendes was creative enough but not stellar. The acting was appropriate although some characters seemed like caricatures straight out of "Daria". The plot, a bit unbalanced and sometimes went over the top. Ok, it`s a dark comedy but that ending is neither dark nor comic and just doesn`t fit with the rest of the story. Despite this flaws, it still works as an observation of today`s american society (is it just about the american?) and is another worthwile indie view of the calm, monotonous suburbs.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Movie
Review: This Is a brilliant movie and I have no idea what is wrong with all those people who wrote negative reviews for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Kevin Spacey 1 star/The rest of the movie was INSULTING!!
Review: I purchased this movie in hope that I would be receiving a 5 star movie. This movie was a great idea if you cut out Lester's fantasy of his daughter's best friend & his wife screwing around. This movie is obviously not intended for children to even be in the room. It was insulting to see Spacey so hung over a girl that he could have had as his daughter. I enjoyed Spacey's comedy that he added to the movie but, other than that you may just want to pass this one up. It is very over rated in my book. Don't let me be the judge though. Sorry to the people who love this movie but, I DO NOT recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most overrated movies of the last years
Review: A corrosive masterpiece, a cruel but realistic portrait of the American family ? No, a movie much more conformist than it seems, full of commonplaces, with an end foregone and unbelievable at the same time.
Only good thing is the level of the acting.
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