Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1315 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-11-27
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerising confidence and acuity epitomised 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 neighbour (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 stylised pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he has 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 colour of roses--and of blood. --Sam Sutherland

Video Description
DVD Special Features

Subtitles: English (HOH), Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish.

Synopsis
AMERICAN BEAUTY tells the story of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a suburban father who snaps when he becomes disgusted with his stale, repetitive existence. Burnham lets us know in voice-over from the film's opening that this is the day he dies (using the SUNSET BOULEVARD flashback approach), a technique that adds an inevitable tension to the proceedings and keeps the story moving forward at all times. On a whim, Lester quits his job and begins a regression into young adulthood, lifting weights, smoking pot, doing nothing, and discovering the overflowing sexuality of his 16-year-old daughter's best friend, Angela (Mena Suvari). His wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), has her own midlife crisis of sorts. A real estate agent, she experiences a youthful awakening when super-agent Buddy Kane (Peter Gallagher) seduces her repeatedly. Meanwhile, Jane (Thora Birch), the Burnhams' daughter, is pursued by Ricky (Wes Bentley), the mysterious boy next door who carries a video camera around with him at all times. When Ricky's militaristic father, Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper), discovers something potentially horrifying on one of his tapes, and when Carolyn's rage for Lester's actions boils over, the time bomb finally explodes.

Customer Reviews

Benning = genius
The scene where she collapses in the wardrobe and hugs her dead husbands clothes is one of the most moving ever made.

first review
This is my first review here on amazon and all of the low ratings are the reason why i'm reviewing it. This film is probably in the top 20 of the greatest films ever made. Clearly anyone who has given this film lower than 4 stars either didn't get it or didn't actually watch the film.
Kevin Spacey is brilliant as expected and there is almost flawless acting by the other actors. I just wish more of the films that came out of hollywood where like this.

Modern Day Classic!!
I loved this film. It was so easy to watch and Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning were both fantastic. It's a film about life in suburbia, with Spacey's character having a mid-life crisis, unhappy with his materialistic/career driven wife, fantasizing about his daughter's beautiful friend and just basically trying to recapture his youth. It doesn't focus solely on Spacey's character Lester, every other character has a story to tell and are dealing with their own issues throughout the film. American Beauty highlights that to an outsider a family can look successful and happy, but deep down it is hugely dysfunctional. I would definitely recommend this film, and can't believe I've only just got round to watching it!!