Fresh
Kevin Spacey gives the performance of his life.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
Overview
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
Director and cast
- Sam Mendes Director
- Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham
- Annette Bening as Carolyn Burnham
- Thora Birch as Jane Burnham
- Wes Bentley as Ricky Fitts
- Mena Suvari as Angela Hayes
- Chris Cooper as Colonel Frank Fitts
- Peter Gallagher as Buddy Kane
- Allison Janney as Barbara Fitts
- Scott Bakula as Jim Olmeyer
- Sam Robards Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
87%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Alan Ball's script is a terrific piece of material, and Mendes responds directly to its subversive, provocative vision of a curdled American Dream.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
Fresh
American Beauty approaches a manic, almost cartoonish edge without falling over. Both Spacey and Bening use extraordinary comic timing to bring these very sad, lost characters to life.
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
Rotten
[The filmmakers'] attacks on real-estate agents, corporate America and suburbia aren't so much shooting fish in a barrel as they are shooting fish in a shallow dish.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
Fresh
Boldly challenging our sympathies, [Lester] somehow wins them because, to borrow a phrase, he's a man in full.
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
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