84
Metascore
34 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertSpacey, an actor who embodies intelligence in his eyes and voice, is the right choice for Lester Burnham.
- 100TNT RoughCutChristopher BrandonTNT RoughCutChristopher BrandonA dark comical masterpiece that single-handedly announces the collapse of the American family infrastructure as it exists on the brink of Y2K.
- 100Dallas ObserverBill GalloDallas ObserverBill GalloIt gracefully defies the usual categories, gets under your skin in ways you cannot anticipate, then works its way straight toward the heart. It's far and away the bravest and best movie of the year.
- 90Film.comPeter BrunetteFilm.comPeter BrunetteHilarious, slightly sick, and super-edgy ...the acting of its two principals, Annette Bening and Kevin Spacey, is so sublime that it's worth seeing on that grounds alone.
- 90Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonHilarious, painful and brutally frank.
- 83Portland OregonianShawn LevyPortland OregonianShawn LevyThough excellent in many ways, American Beauty is, finally, an uneasy mix of assured technique and simplistic satire.
- 80TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelKevin Spacey (gives) a truly great performance.
- 80L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorSurprises you with a kind of hardheaded romanticism.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittA ruthless dissection of suburban malaise.
- 63San Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisSan Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisA satire whose dead aim stops wounding - and starts making - stereotypes of white middle-classness.