 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
American Beauty
- Review Date: May 19, 2003
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 1999
Common Sense Media says
Powerful acting, great story, but far too mature for kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this relentlessly dark picture of America and its values at the turn of the 21st century may have won a Best Picture Oscar, but it definitely isn't for kids. The film takes a hard, often bleakly comic look at the dissolution of the family and is full of sex, drugs, bigotry, and hypocrisy. Graphically sexual images include an adult fantasizing about his young daughter’s seductive friend, an adulterous relationship in a motel, masturbation, and partial nudity on several occasions. Homosexuality and homophobia are addressed. A young man is brutally beaten by his father more than once, and there are disturbing, bloody images of the violent death of a leading character. Language is coarse and explicit throughout, with constant use of sexual dialogue, swearing (including "f--k" and "s--t"), and terms disparaging to women and homosexuals. Kids and adults smoke pot in many scenes, and “getting high” is seen as a release from daily despair.
What's the story?
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a 42-year-old man who's lost touch with anything that made him feel alive. His wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), is a Realtor who's so highly focused that she's clenched. His daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), is a sullen teenager. Both barely disguise their contempt for him, which he accepts as his due. One night at a high school basketball game, Lester sees a vision that transforms him. Jane performs in a cheerleading routine with a girl named Angela (Mena Suvari). Lester is overcome by Angela's youth and beauty, and for the first time in his memory, she gives him a goal: He wants to make love to her. He quits his job, begins to work out, smokes some very expensive marijuana supplied by the teenage boy next door, and buys the red Firebird he dreamed of back when he was passionate about his dreams. The boy next door (Wes Bentley) uses the money he makes from selling drugs to buy video equipment, with which he films everything he sees -- especially Jane.
Is it any good?
Lester, who narrates AMERICAN BEAUTY, informs viewers at the beginning that he will be dead by the end. As in the classic Hemmingway short story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," he becomes passionate and vital at last, which is unsettling to everyone around him.
Teens are likely to consider this movie profound in the way that their parents considered The Graduate profound. Lester, like Dustin Hoffman's character Benjamin Braddock, is trying to get away from "plastics." Carolyn has buried her feelings with motivational tapes, a $4,000 sofa, and mantras like, "I WILL sell this house today!" Lester has escaped from a crushing feeling of inauthenticity by becoming numb. By telling the truth to himself and those around him, he is like the child in The Emperor's New Clothes, saying that the suburban dream is empty and that they won't allow themselves to be ordinary. And, most important, the teens are the real heroes of the movie, having already realized that the dream is empty. What they may not realize is that the real tragedy of Lester and Carolyn is that they once knew that, too, and it didn't prevent them from losing themselves.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the sexual behavior of the movie's teenage characters. How do the characters feel about sex? What are the consequences of their decisions and behavior? Do these seem realistic?
How does the movie address questions of teen identity? Do the teenagers in this movie feel real to you? Why or why not?
This movie isn't for most teens, but those who do see it can use it
as a way to begin conversations about the ways that families
communicate, the choices we make about sex and drugs, and the ways that
we find meaning in a complicated world.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Freaky and Potentialy Life Changing
I saw this movie and was in shock for days, it is definitely not for kids my age, but it is really an AMAZING movie. AMAZAING. I don't want to say to much, but the point of the movie is the dysfunctionality (is that a word?) of american families, so almost everything is wrong here, but that's the point. If you are over 15 GO WATCH THIS NOW.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Struggles
This is an amazing movie that shows the hidden secrets of families that look perfect on the outside. It shows struggles of adults as well as teenagers. I absolutely love this movie!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Very Powerful Movie
This is one of those movies that make you think. When the movie ends, you just think. Think about what you have just watched. And think about the rest of your life.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Amazing movie, funny and insightful. Kids may not understand the material. There is also sexual content, violence and drug use.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
3 STARS? What the heck! THIS IS A FIVE STAR MOVIE!
This movie is one of those rare films that is both art and entertainment. I fell in love with this movie from start to finish and watched it 3 times over again the day after. Amazing, beautiful, well-acted, excellently written and shot, funny, cool, and explicit. Many would say this movie is for adults only, but as you can see, I'm fourteen and had no problem at all with it. There's some sexual dialogue amd two or three bare-breasted incidents. The first is the shortest, less than a second long. A flash of a website on a computer. The second is medium, seen from a distance, maybe ten seconds or a bit more. Not that much. But the last incident, very near the powerful ending, is a couple of minutes. It's pretty long. But again, I could handle it and I think you need to know your kid before you let him/her see this movie. There is a handful of language, but it's not PULP FICTION, and towards the end there is one very violent murder resulting in a LOT of blood pouring from someone's head, but it's not a waterfall. It's a pretty explicit movie but one of the best I've ever seen. Adults, go rent it and bring your MATURE teens with you, kids, ask.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Genius
I think this is one of the most brilliant films I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It is not for weak minded audiences and I recommend that parents do not show it to young children for obvious reasons. The story line is engaging, the acting is spectacular, and the casting is perfect. Spacey proves to be an excellent choice for Lester and Bening is wonderful as Carolyn. Overall I give this film the highest of ratings and place it in the must see category for every movie fan.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Some iffy content...parent preview reccomended
To me, American Beauty is reminiscent of Woody Allen; except R-rated and modernized. Just like Battleship Potemkin or Citizen Kane, Beauty is like a textbook for filmmakers; it’s the definition of a successful motion picture. You may be saying, “I’ve seen Annie Hall and Manhattan, they’re nothing like American Beauty.” Consider the subjects of movies such as Hannah and Her Sisters and Interiors; love and lust; rape and sexual violence. Some of the best performances of the decade can be found in Beauty; Kevin Spacey knocks ‘em dead with his performance as Lester Burnham, a troubled suburban man going through mid-life crisis. Spacey’s performance is extremely powerful because sometimes you want to laugh at him and sometimes you want to scream at him. Lester is very believable and maybe even relatable to. Annette Bening also does a marvelous job as Lester’s wife. Sometimes I crack up thinking that this was the same woman who played the prez’s lover in The American President. Spacey and Bening’s, well, hate for each other is a show-stealer. Alan Ball does a superb job with the script, giving it an excellent plot and adding things such as a narrator and a truly thumbs-up opening sequence. Climax, conflict? He does it all. The artistic direction and cinematography are also fantastic, another great combo. If you haven’t seen American Beauty or you have and hated it: watch it (again). It’s a masterpiece.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Great, out-there adult movie
TONS of adult content. I watched this as a 14-year-old. At that time, I had a very mature mind & understood the movie somewhat. Now, I understand it completely. Amazing movie about real, true beauty & a falling family. Acting is good. Bad messages &, I repeat, tons of adult content. Beware of letting your younger ones watch, parents. Overall, nice film.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | DreamWorks |
| Director: | Sam Mendes |
| Cast: | Annette Bening, Kevin Spacey, Mena Suvari |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 122 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 1, 1999 |
| DVD release date: | March 4, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | nudity, sexual references, profanity, and drug use |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
