American Beauty (Widescreen Edition) - Region 1 DVD

8.1	Rating (333 ratings)

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Directed by :

Sam Mendes

Starring :

Annette Bening

Thora Birch

Chris Cooper

Peter Gallagher

Sam Robards

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Review

2 years, 11 months ago at Mar 28 17:08

Kyle Ellis

I wasn't expecting to like American Beauty, but I did, loved it more like. The story mayn't be original at first glance, but how the film is written and constructed more than compensates you completely overlook. You may argue the characters are weird and unlikeable, maybe so, but they are quite complex. Lester is a self-described loser who is unwanted by everyone, Carolyn is uptight and sexually f... read more

View all American Beauty (Widescreen Edition) reviews

Description: Call Number: DVD PN1997 .A557 M45 2000 From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave. It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical scr Call Number: DVD PN1997 .A557 M45 2000

From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave.

It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity. Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama. The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous teenaged daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence.

Credit another big-screen newcomer, English theatrical director Sam Mendes, with expertly juggling these potentially disjunctive elements into a superb ensemble piece that achieves a stylized pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he's also made an inspired discovery in Bentley, whose Ricky Fitts becomes a fulcrum for both plot and theme. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's sumptuous visual design further elevates the film, infusing the beige interiors of the Burnhams' lives with vivid bursts of deep crimson, the color of roses--and of blood. --Sam Sutherland ... (more)

Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
Release date: 24 October 2000
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 9780783241234 UPC: 667068538229

Tags: Drama (28), Comedy (6), 1999 (6), Black Comedy (6), Satire (4), VHS (3), Life (3), 1990's (3), DVD (3), Movie (3), Coming-of-age (3), Family (2), Kevin Spacey (2), Annette Bening (2), D (2), Quirky (2), R (2), Debut (2), Fav (2)

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Kyle Ellis posted a review 2 years, 11 months ago

“I wasn't expecting to like American Beauty, but I did, loved it more like. The story mayn't be original at first glance, but how the film is written and constructed more than compensates you completely overlook. You may argue the characters are weird and unlikeable, maybe so, but they are quite complex. Lester is a self-described loser who is unwanted by everyone, Carolyn is uptight and sexually frustrated, Jane is the epitome of a sulky teenage daughter and Allison is like a incipient Lolita who Lester becomes smitten with. American Beauty is probably an example of a movie that you may need to see more than once to truly appreciate it, I was like that with Vertigo.

What I love about American Beauty is not only the complex characters, but also the stylish filming, haunting score,” read more

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