Yar, you be here: American Beauty (The Awards Edition) > Customer Reviews

American Beauty (The Awards Edition) Customer Reviews (16 - 18 of 109 Reviews)

The characters are not what they seem, up until the end........
Think about it, what makes this film the best of 1999 is the acting. Kevin Spacey shines as Lester Burnham, and Annette Bening (Carolyn Burnham) isn't far behind. Supporting cast members such as Wes Bentley (Ricky Fitts), Thora Birch (Jane Burnham), Mena Suvari (Angela Hayes), and Chris Cooper (Col. Frank Fitts) only adds to the drama of this film. I think the most special aspect of this film is how all of the characters intertwine in a way that is believable, yet fantastic at the same time. I congratulate Sam Mendes for his direction of this film, as well as Alan Ball for writing it. I don't think it could have been any better.

Rated R in the U.S. for strong sexuality, language, drug content, and violence, the film obviously deserves its rating. However, none of the causes for the R rating are overbearing, and all of them add to the plot-line of this film. While I don't think that this is a film for children, I would suggest that adults should view it with an open mind. I believe that the traits which many of the characters in this film have are found in many people around the world. Perhaps that is why this film hits close to home for so many viewers.

While billed by some as a "comedy-drama", I don't see anything about this film as funny. Sure, there are some comedic moments, but by the end, those moments were all but forgotten when faced with the grim reality of the conclusion of the events portrayed in this film.

If you want to watch a light-hearted film with some elements of comedy and some elements of drama, don't see American Beauty. But if you enjoy films that make you think, and are entertained by an excellent cast, excellent directing, and an excellent screenplay, this film should be at the top of your list.


American Nightmare
The title of this film might well have been "American Nightmare, the antithesis of the American Dream. I cannot understand why this picture was considered a masterpiece. It is well crafted, but into what category does it fall? It's not a whodunit, its definitely not a comedy ,although there are comic bits scattered through it. I would put it in the black melodrama category myself, though a Shakespearean type of tragedy might be a more appropriate description. Supposedly it is a satire on suburban middle class life, with all the usual clichés about material well-being not bringing happiness, and as portrayed in the film it seems to bring about the opposite results. Imagine, indeed, if you were a rural Ethiopian, for example, watching this movie, you would be totally confused, you would wonder that with all the portrayed wealth and opportunities how can the characters be so fatally unhappy? The characters portrayed have extremely ugly personalities, with the exception of the two male homosexuals in the community (three if you count the man next door who won't admit his homophilia), but who only have a reflecting role in the film anyway. Admittedly the acting is superb, though I preferred Kevin Spacey in his role in the much superior and sensitive "Shipping News" movie.

Essentially, "American Beauty" shows a married couple in the prime of their lives who have convinced themselves that they are losers. What makes the film worth watching is how the main characters react in different ways to their assumed situation. Indeed, most of the grown up people in the movie appear to be psychopaths. Naturally, the children of these psychos are mixed up in various degrees as well. If the play is supposed to be anything like a true portrait of the average white middle class family in the United States then, God Save America!

A movie worth watching
American Beauty brings to the screen the story a middle-aged man who is not really in control of his life or his happiness, until he decides to finally take matters into his own hands. That's when changes begin to take place, but as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours...
I have to admit I liked this movie much more the second time round.
Kevin Spacey and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least. All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is something else)! Very well written and very well presented, the film does a great job of describing people's every day lives and the problems they face.
The only major setback is in relation to the hidden and not-so-hidden messages found throughout the movie.
In short, American Beauty is a movie definitely worth watching, as it will surely provide for an evening's entertainment!

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Next Page