Rating: 
Summary: Great acting
Review: American Beauty is not a "coming of age" story, but an offshoot of that -- "a coming of death" story. Kevin Spacey is extremely solid in this often humorous look at life beneath the surface. Annette Bening's performance is a little over the top, but most of the time she is enjoyable. Wes Bentley establishes himself as a fine young actor, and Conrad Hall masterfully films each scene to portray a certain richness. The script is neither new or exceptional. It did win the Oscar, and I am still surprised of that. At times it seems to ramble, but Lester's redemption toward the end of the movie is sidesplittingly funny...
Rating: 
Summary: Good, well-acted, but over-rated
Review: This was undoubtedly a very good film, with a strong acting job that we have come to expect from Kevin Spacey. He plays the 42 year-old Lester Burnham, who attempts to break free from the humdrum confines of his unsatisfying, suburban existence and to appreciate "beauty" in all its forms. However, it has been hailed by some here, as well as some critics, as this startling, original, life-altering film which in this reviewer's opinion it is most certainly not.Burnham goes through the motions early in the film, (we catch him in the act of self-gratification in the shower to symbolize the lack of any continued spark in his marriage with Annette Bening), until he is broken out of his doldrums by a strong sexual desire for his teenage daughter's best friend. He leers uncomfortably at the new object of his affections at a high school basketball game (the girls are both cheerleaders), and his descent and "re-awakening" begins. Ultimately Burnham forces his boss to offer him a lucrative severence package at work with some extortionate demands, starts asserting himself a little more around the house, buys a car he enjoys driving, and takes a job at a local burger joint to escape the rat race. The scene of him tossing a plate of asparagus at the wall to demand some respect from his family reminded me of Nicholson's tirade in the diner during Five Easy Pieces, when he couldn't get his wheat toast. All the while, his wife (an aspiring real estate agent) starts a desperate affair with a slimy superstar real estate agent, played with biting accuracy by Peter Gallagher. Ultimately, it was hard to feel too much sympathy for any of the characters in the movie, except maybe for Burnham's teenage daughter and her video-nut boyfriend. The boyfriend's dad is a crazed neo-nazi with some strong feelings of repressed sexuality who literally terrorizes his brow-beaten wife and son; Annette Bening is an adulterous career girl with no real warmth; Gallagher is a self-important snob happy to bed another's wife; and Burnham himself turns into a lecherous, self-confident, weightlifting pothead. The action careens toward a climax at the Burnham residence one night when Lester's duaghter invites her teenage cheerleader friend to stay over, and the ending, while anticipated throughout the film, was still quite effective. The film had its moments to be sure, the cocktail party where Bening introduces her sarcastic husband to a clearly unimpressed Peter Gallagher stands out in my mind as a fabulous scene, and I loved Spacey attempting to rekindle some romance with Bening on the couch, only to be rebuffed out of her concern for the expensive couch fabric. Witty at times, dramatic, engaging, yes. Life-changing and startlingly original, no.
Rating:
Summary: And the Oscar goes to.... Lester?
Review: Witty and stark, the film rings of real life- but not the one on most main streets and backroads of this great country. But rather a "Hotel California-ized" version of Perversion, USA..... just the same, it is a meandering walk through the life of dysfunctional people everywhere, and therein lies the one major fault of this movie. Not one of the main characters is a redeeming person, not one is "normal"... the contract among the characters would have been better realized if one of the main protagonists would have had a normal life, perhaps sharing the shock and dismay at the pathos as we the viewer are. But instead, it is an interplay of a macabre life that a few, "Jerry Brown" types (there, my second California reference, so shoot me (like Lester)) might relate to fully. It is like looking into a fish bowl, with beautiful guppies, warped visages by the roundness of the bowl, and eventually eaten by their mama fish! It's a Wonderful Life, this movie ain't! Where is JImmy Stewart, oh dead. And why not Tom Spanks, oh wait, he is a Castaway. Well, looksy here, Lester is none other than Spacey, and lo and behold, a tremendous tour deforce of acting is displayed. Oscar for Lester, and rightfully so. But Mrs. Beatty was even better, and slighted by the Academy, I am sorry to say. Remaining cast was so-so. If you have an experience like mine, you will find that, on first viewing this movie is too weird. On second viewing it comes to life (as I become numb to the idiosyncracies of the characters, much like watching the Rodney King tape for the umpteenth time), and by the third viewing, it is trite.... pass the salsa and let's watch HGTV instead.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing ending
Review: Enough has already been said about the fine acting, cinematography, etc. Let's go straight to the ending, a denouement that topples the excellence of the first two hours. Up to now, the film has dealt with a weird sort of reality. Suddenly the professional writer was removed and a C student sophomore creative writing wannabe gives us the "meaning." And what is that? Why, Death is beautiful. "If you don't know that yet, you will," the narrator says in so many words. Baloney. Death is death. There's nothing pretty or satisfying about it. No one knows what comes after, not for certain. It is hard to understand how that last two minutes could have survived the eyes and ears of so many talented people. What could have been a superb film was severely marred so that fourteen year olds could come away with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Shame on the writer, director, producer and editors.
Rating: 
Summary: JCMICHAELS.COM American Beauty Review
Review: American Beauty, this chilling yet humorous look at the typical American family trapped in the world of suburbia. The movie is all about appearances, "In order to be successful one must project an image of success at all times." That is probably one of the overall themes of the movie. Many of the characters find success to be something all their own through validation of themselves or from another, and you see how their belief in that either makes them better or tears them down. Sam Mendes, the director of this incredible movie was able to select an awesome cast, including Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Allison Janney, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari and Peter Gallagher, all of whom were able to believably bring their character life through just a look or a line. The fantastic movie and incredible cast should be enough to buy this DVD, but it is also loaded with bonus features. The commentary is wonderful and informative, really breaking down the shots and informing you on what was cut out. This definitely shows the insightfulness of the director on making sure that there was no unnecessary dialog that would take away from the moment. Even the behind the scenes featurette was a pleasure to watch. If you haven't seen this movie yet, it is definitely worth you time. The acting is superb, the quality is excellent and the features are outstanding. American Beauty deserved all 5 Academy Awards including best picture, because this is truly "Spec-tac-ular".
Rating:
Summary: One of the all time greats, i'm apalled anybody could hate..
Review: Firstly, this is the first movie to win the big Oscar for best film of the year that is so coveted in the movie business that wasn't ABSOLUTE GUTTER TRASH in a long time. This movie is great. Kevin Spacey is brilliant in this as he is in about any film. He plays a man, Lester Burnham, who is just fed up with his sedated life style and how everybody around him just cares about monetary values and proof of their own wealth. This movie is an insight into why people maybe do things they do and a possible explanation for human behavior. This is a very sad movie, and a very sick and twisted one in points, you have to watch with an open mind, just because it appears in this movie it isn't meant to follow a stereotype, it's just there. You have to "Look closer" as the movie slogan goes. 5 Billion/5. This movie changed my life.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the big deal?
Review: I heard so much hype about this movie in the fall of 1999! Even in Russia! I knew that I had to see it. I saw it, and vowed to never watch it again. The dialogue and acting was beyond superb but the storyline was not very good. The fact that it explored suburban dysfunction was nice, but all of the sex and vulgarity turned me off. There were a few funny moments in the movie, (ex: The family eating dinner together and Col. Fitts 'homophobe-ness'). Overall, not worth all the hype.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, great DVD
Review: "American Beauty" is one of the most haunting, beautiful films to come around in a long time. With its stunning cinematography, amazing writing, and outstanding performances form every single member of the cast, it makes an eloquent statement about what's truly important in life. There are scenes in this movie that defy description, but which will capture your heart and touch your soul. "American Beauty" represents everything that modern film-making should be. As for the DVD, it offers several outstanding features that wisely do not overshadow the movie itself. I particularly enjoyed the director's commentary. Of note, some people were upset that an alternate beginning and ending that were shot and discarded, were not included on the DVD. I, for one, am glad they weren't; to have included them would have irretrievably altered the audience's entire perception of the movie, and by so doing, might have ruined it. When all is said and done, "American Beauty" should form the cornerstone of any DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Self-reviewing Movie
Review: That's right- it's a rarity (perhaps this is the only time it's ever happened), but this film's title aptly describes the movie itself. It's one of the freshest, funniest and ultimately up-lifting stories about a murder you'll ever see.
Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a man whose last name should be "Burn-out-" until he catches a glimpse of his daughter's sexy friend. This inspires Lester to go on a rampage of self-improvement. Spacey's a wonder in this role- from his droll voice-over to his character's biting sarcasm. But the performance of the film has to be Annette Bening as Lester's shallow, ambitious, materialistic, real estate agent wife. Bening is by turns falsely charming, overly needy, self-loathing and domineering, but finds vulnerability and believability in a role that, in a lesser film and with a lesser performer, would've become a cartoon. She makes a worthy sparring partner for Spacey. Complicating matters are the Burnham's weirder-than-weird next-door neighbors; Chris Cooper is ferocious as the homophobic Col. Fitts and Wes Bentley plays his son, the videophile with a troubled past who sells pot to the revitalized Lester. Bentley also gets involved in a touching romance with Thora Birch as Lester's daughter.
"American Beauty" moves in mysterious ways, teases the viewer with several possible outcomes before ending in violence, but with a strangely serene and entrancing coda that will literally make you feel a whole lot better- sort of like Lester himself. This is a very worthy film that cuts right to the heart of suburban malaise and materialism and finds spiritual lessons and bittersweet humor even in its smallest moments. With Mena Suvari as the trash-talking sexpot friend Lester obsesses over, and "Quantam Leap's" Scott Bakula as neighbor Jim who lives with his lover, Jim. Peter Gallagher ("sex, lies and videotape") turns in a memorable supporting performance as the Real Estate King, Bening's competitor and mentor- although his mentoring turns very odd.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME MOVIE
Review: This is the best movie that I have seen in awhile! I have heard that you either like it or hate it...but I LOVE IT! It was great. Annette Benning is the best! The movie is very thought-provoking, and despite their many problems, you fall in love with each character.
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