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 American Beauty 

What grade would you give this film?
A 68%  68%  [ 21 ]
B 19%  19%  [ 6 ]
C 6%  6%  [ 2 ]
D 6%  6%  [ 2 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 31

 American Beauty 
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Post Re: American Beauty
I would not say that it is one of the best movies of all time.

It is a great movie, wonderful performances all around (I was going to single out one or two but cannot, all great), good story and great direction.

Anyway, for me it is an A


Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:22 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
Cinemax has started re-airing this movie a million times, and it has not lost its touch. It remains one of my all-time favorite films.


Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:28 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
I find this film to be overrated.

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Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:22 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
Homer Box wrote:
I find this film to be overrated.


It finds you overrated.


Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:45 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
it's extremely overrated. Shouldn't have won best picture at all.


Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:43 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
its a solid movie. i give it a B


Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:43 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
Libs wrote:
Cinemax has started re-airing this movie a million times, and it has not lost its touch. It remains one of my all-time favorite films.


Mine too. Imagine that? :thumbsup:


Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:45 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
I'm watching this on HBO Signature right now. I know it's incredibly cliched to say it now, but I can't help it. This movie is flawless and every time I watch it I get something new out of it. It's easily in my top three favorite films of all time and on certain occassions I would definitely call it the best movie ever. It's just so amazing. I doubt there will ever be another film like it.


Mon Oct 22, 2007 12:09 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
I recorded it on HBO last night. Gonna watch it sometime soon. I can't remember the last time I watched it. It has been at least five years.

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Mon Oct 22, 2007 12:23 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
The best compliment I can give this film is that no matter how many times I've seen it, it's always first on the list of ones I want to rewatch again.

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Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:04 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
Shack wrote:
The best compliment I can give this film is that no matter how many times I've seen it, it's always first on the list of ones I want to rewatch again.


Exactly. I rewatched this last weekend and it is just so good.


Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:06 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
Saw this for the first time last night. Wow this was fantastic. Kevin Spacey really was the most amazing actor in the 90s from Glengarry all the way here, and he's still great today as well, but doesnt make as many movies anymore.

Fantastic script, acting, and cinematography, now seeing all Sam Mendes films, I can see why some were disappointed by Jarhead, but Im excited for the DiCaprio Winslet reteam.

A+++++

Deserved every award it got.

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Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:32 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
Rorschach wrote:
Aside from Annette Benning (who I seem to just loathe in most movies), I love every moment of this film. A true American classic. And yet it's not even in my top 2 of 1999, or even top 15 of the 90's. Though it just may very well be the greatest pure-drama ever made.


okay. I think every word of this review may be wrong. but I'll break it down:
Wrong:
1. "Aside from Annette Benning"....this would have been okay had the following words been "I didn't like anything else in this movie"
2. Anything involving the word "love" or "greatest ever made"
3. pure-drama


Thu Dec 25, 2008 3:40 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
I'm not sure why it works so well, but it does. I guess it's a result of nothing about the film being weak - the whole cast is great, the writing is sharp, the story seems like a boring one yet never bores. Maybe not the best picture of 1999, but certainly up there.

A

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Fri Dec 26, 2008 5:48 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
Amazing. The acting is spectacular and the movie says many truths about society.

A+

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Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:09 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
One of my favorite movies. Kevin Spacey is brilliant in the lead role, as is Annette Bening as his wife. On the surface, it's a dark satire of suburban life, but underneath, it's a call to see and appreciate the beauty of everything in life, even the most seemingly ordinary things. The last half-hour is masterful and contains some of my favorite scenes in any movie.

A+

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Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:47 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
Dear WOKJ members,

I want to issue an apology. I am about to do something that I not only hate but have preached about on this very site. I am going to analyze and comment on this movie not as an unbiased 'reviewer' that leaves my personal feelings and thoughts at the door, but as a person commenting on a movie they just saw.

This movie is rather flawed. Annete Benning's over-acting is often more annoying than effective, all though the rest of the cast ranges from solid (Thora Birch, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper) to magnificient (Kevin Spacey) to indescrible words of awesome (Wes Bentley). But here lies the first trap-door. I'm not sure if Bentley is all that incredible as an actor, or if his acting in this movie is really that amazing. I say its so awesome because Bentley plays nearly the exact character that I have wanted to create for several years, and he plays it to perfection.

This is where my bias comes in. As a film, this is an excellent film. Not sure if it was the best picture of 1999 but it was a very reasonable and good choice for BP of that year. Even still as a movie it is almost certainly not one of the best movie I've ever watched. However it resonates with me on so many levels I can't begin to recount them. This is the closest thing to the movie that I've been trying to construct in my head for 2 years that I've ever encountered. It's quirky and hateful tone as well its bizarre yet realistic depictions of humanity and society paint exactly the type of picture that I want to paint.

Not to mention that it is incredibly well told. The directing, especially at scenes where Mendes is allowed some lee-way to shine (the seduction scenes, as well as the intro and end) is absolutely brilliant. Like magnus mentioned the cinematography is marvelous and the way the whole thing is edited together fits beautifully. Mendes really is an extremely talented director, and does a breathtaking job here.

The script is often a little exaggerated. The dialogue is sometimes too blunt and occasionally gives in to convention, which is very risky considering its trying so desperately to mock normality. It manages to pull it off though, and its minor flaws can completely be forgiven.

If I had to narrow this down to the quality of the picture, I would say its a great movie and should probably get a soft 5/5. But I can't do that. I can't seperate the personal resonance that I have with this film, and maybe that's okay every once in a while.

A Perfect Score (and then some, I'll have to look at my list, but it's somewhere in my top 10, maybe top 5)

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You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself.

Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.


Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:11 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
p.s. why'd the daughter need a boob job? Her tits were huge.

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Mr. R wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself.

Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.


Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:14 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
oh monsieur marin you're a real practical joker

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Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:54 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
It's the final word ever needed on suburban malaise. Fuck you, Todd Philips/Tom Perotta.

The teen parts are really, really stupid, though. Not the acting, just...plastic bag and Nazi hard-ons. Ugh.

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Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:03 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
AHH! This movie. :wub2:

I know it has the normal backlash as any modern movie that is loved, but damn it, this is literally the best movie ever made. I'm watching it on Cinemax right now and every time I watch it, I am just in awe. It is seriously so fucking phenomenal. In a league of it's own. I can't even really put it into words.

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Tue Feb 25, 2014 3:09 am
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Post Re: American Beauty
Hey, I watched it on Cinemax last night too...weird.

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Tue Feb 25, 2014 1:42 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
Watching this on HBO Comedy now (lol). This is my favorite movie.


Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:25 pm
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Post Re: American Beauty
I can't see a movie ever replacing this as my favorite movie. It's one of the few movies that is just pitch perfect on every level.

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9. The Lobster
10. Hell or High Water


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Post Re: American Beauty
movies35 wrote:
It's one of the few movies that is just pitch perfect on every level.

Perfect score? :disgust:

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