American Beauty

Cast View all

	Kevin Spacey	Lester Burnham
	Annette Bening	Carolyn Burnham
	Thora Birch	Jane Burnham
	Wes Bentley	Ricky Fitts
	Mena Suvari	Angela Hayes
	Peter Gallagher	Buddy Kane
	Allison Janney	Barbara Fitts
	Chris Cooper	Colonel Fitts
	Scott Bakula	Jim Olmeyer
	Sam Robards	Jim Berkley
	Barry Del Sherman	Brad
	Ara Celi	Sale House Woman #1
	John Cho	Sale House Man #1
	Fort Atkinson	Sale House Man #2
	Sue Casey	Sale House Woman #2
	Kent Faulcon	Sale House Man #3
	Brenda Wehle	Sale House Women #4
	Lisa Cloud	Sale House Women #4
	Alison Faulk	Spartanette #1
	Krista Goodsitt	Spartanette #2
	Lily Houtkin	Spartanette #3
	Carolina Lancaster	Spartanette #4
	Mona Leah	Spartanette #5
	Chekesha Van Putten	Spartanette #6
	Emily Zachary	Spartanette #7

Crew View all

Director	Sam Mendes
Writer	Alan Ball
Producer	Alan Ball, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, Stan Wlodkowski
Musician	Thomas Newman
Photography	Conrad L. Hall

Trailer

Edition details

Personal

Notes

WSR Narrative Review

Story Synopsis:
Critically acclaimed (winning, among other awards, five Oscars®) and applauded by moviegoers, “American Beauty” is a dramatic, dark, and sometimes funny look at the modern-day disappointments of “regular joe” Lester Burnham (Academy Award®-winner Spacey). Feeling little affection for his unfulfilled wife Caroline (Bening), at odds with his sullen teenage daughter Jane (Birch), and frustrated by his job, Lester begins an all-consuming obsession for the lusty young Angela (Suvari), who soon realizes the power that her youthful sexuality has over men--particularly her friend Jane’s dad. We may find these characters pathetic and distasteful, but if we’re honest enough to admit it, we’ve all felt their emotions at some time in our lives. (Laurie Sevano)

DVD Picture:
Viewed in a completely blackened room, the anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits a beautiful picture, with sharp and detailed images and excellent fine definition. The picture has both a dark and bright appearance, but this evaluation reveals that the imagery is merely mirroring the content of the movie itself: whether you want to see it as life in American suburbia or living an American nightmare. Colors are rich and vibrant, with balanced fleshtones and deep blacks. The symbolic “American Beauty” roses seen throughout the film exhibit smooth, solid saturation. The computerized fantasy sequence of scarlet petals bursting from Angela’s bosom in the high school gymnasium is executed as smoothly as if it were shot in-camera. There are occasional scenes in which edge enhancement is noticed, but nothing too distracting from the overall picture. A bit of artifacts are also noticed, otherwise the picture is solid. Described with only one word, the picture is “spec-tac-ular.” (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital and DTS® Digital Surround™ audio tracks sound very similar. The DTS edges out slightly for having a low end that is a touch fuller and for subtly better defined spatial imaging. Both soundtracks deliver excellent fidelity and offer a listening experience that is pleasant and satisfying. This is clearly a music and dialogue-driven sonic presentation. Voices are very well-recorded and integration with visual environments is noteworthy. They have a laid-back presence that is comforting to the ears. Kevin Spacey’s dialogue is rather typical in that it is forward-sounding with a prominent nasal character. Sound effects are gently spread across the screen, and other than the music, the surrounds are not a prominent factor. The music score is a par excellent recording with impressive fidelity and spatial depth. It fills the listening space with subtlety, but also sounds impeccably clean and expansive. Deep bass is moderately present with the music, and the .1 LFE-though active-isn’t engaged substantially. This is a finely executed soundtrack with wonderful fidelity, and is sure to deliver a pleasing listening experience. (Perry Sun)



This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Superb Cinematography
Collector Edition
Superb Music Score Recording Quality

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