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American Beauty (The Awards Edition) Customer Reviews (94 - 96 of 109 Reviews)

A Look Closer...
American Beauty is a great movie that discovers how twisted America can be And what a beauty this is. Spacey is excellent as Lester Burnham, a disillusioned hack writer who embarks on a reckless quest for self-discovery. While alienating his control-freak wife (Annette Bening) and confused teenage daughter (Thora Birch), he jumps headfirst into his midlife crisis, befriending the drug dealer next door (Wes Bentley) and lusting after his daughter's best friend (Mena Suvari), among other things. Director Mendes' uncommon approach to common realities is wonderful, and the script is full of pessimism and hilarity, with not a word wasted. Add to that the film's electric visual style, and what emerges is a terrific film about troubled souls. Musical score is just great with along with the theme and the thoughts of Lester Cunningham (Kevin Spacey). I would recommend it for anyone to se the realities of the American Beauty

I almost walked out of one of my favorite movies of all time
Just a quick note to the few who haven't seen this movie, and the fewer who didn't thoroughly enjoy it.

This movie is perfect in every aesthetic sense, the music (brilliant soundtrack, I own it), the cinematography, the world class talent (giving some of the best performances of thier lives)...still, I almost walked out because I felt Hollywood had crafted a perfect movie devoid of message, indulgent, I almost coulnd't stand it if that was the case.

Thankfully it wasn't, and is the reason for my review. After a while the basic message of the film began to take shape for me and made a colossal difference. So (without giving anything away), I believe this movie is about bravery. Not the kind of "I'll take the hill" bravery we're used to, but everyday bravery, the kind that is too often found in short supply. It's a story about a man who is almost a composite of what allot of men subconsciously strive for (not how he turns out, but the basic attributes of his life). His world slowly and unnoticably degenerated into a life of misery.

And he did something about it.

He bravely decided to change.

He doesn't follow the textbook, and so a good deal of drama ensues, but he does his best. I found it admirable, brave, and, well, no pun intended, but I found it really beautiful.

You're entitled to disagree with my interpretation, but when I shared it with a very intelligent friend of mine who didn't like the film, he instantly changed his opinion on it.

I hope you enjoy half as much as I did.

You will not believe what you have just seen
Sam Mendes' Dark, yet enthralling drama about life in the suburbs and the horror it sometimes brings into the life of the typical American family is a masterpiece of American film. The hustle to get the newest things, have the biggest house, be the most popular and to basically have everything you envy, is at the base of this academy award winning film. This movie makes you do exactly what the advertisements say which is to LOOK CLOSER...

This movie opens your eyes to the seemingly normal families living in the suburbs of America. This movie tells the story of the Burnham's, Lester(played masterfully in an academy award winning role by Kevin Spacey) the family Patriarch who is in love with his high school daughter's best friend, Carolyn Burnham(in a stellar performance that was academy award nominated, by Annette Benning), who is a real estate agent, with aspirations to be as big as the supposed "KING" of real estate. The Daughter of this couple is played very well by Thora Birch. The acting in this movie will leave you dumbfounded saying "how can someone act like that".

This movie is an instant classic with inventive supporting characters, Ricky the marijuana selling, videotaping neighbor. He videotapes everything he can and seemingly has explanations for all of it. The psychotic, image obsessed friend of the Burnham's Daughter(played by Mena Suvari) who says she would consider having an affair with Lester.

The bottom line is that this movie is probably one of the best movies in recent memory. It will leave you wanting for more and you will want to watch it again and again. Sam Mendes in his directorial debut could not have done a better job with this film. The cinematography, writing, backgrounds and the little objects and the character's nuances are dead on. One viewing of this film will have you saying ...

LOOK CLOSER

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