Common Sense Media Review
Powerful acting, great story, but far too mature for kids.
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American Beauty
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 13 parent reviews
Based on 30 kid reviews
Kids say that this movie, while acclaimed for its depth and artistic merit, contains graphic content that is not suitable for younger audiences, with many reviewers emphasizing the presence of strong language, sexual themes, and violence. Recommendations from viewers suggest a minimum age of 15 or 16 for mature teens, with some indicating that even 12-year-olds could handle it under parental guidance, but the overall consensus is that it is more appropriate for older teens due to its complex themes about suburban life and human desires.
- mature themes
- graphic content
- parental guidance
- age recommendations
- deep meaning
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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 this riveting film, 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.
Talk to Your Kids 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.
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 1, 1999
- On DVD or streaming : March 4, 2003
- Cast : Annette Bening , Kevin Spacey , Mena Suvari
- Director : Sam Mendes
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Gay Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : DreamWorks
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 122 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : nudity, sexual references, profanity, and drug use
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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