What is the Metascore for American Beauty?

American Beauty has a Metascore of 79 out of 100 on Celluloid.

What countries is American Beauty streaming in?

American Beauty streams on Vidio, HBO Max in Indonesia; U-NEXT in Japan; HBO Max in Malaysia; HBO Max in the Philippines; HBO Max in Thailand; Prime Video, Paramount+ in the United Kingdom. Subscription availability only; rental and purchase options may differ.

Drama

American Beauty

Directed by Sam Mendes · 1999 · Last reviewed August 31, 2026

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary

American Beauty (1999) earns a 82% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

Quick Verdict

Calculated from 4 available inputs: Celluloid editorial rating, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb. Audience sentiment is shown separately and never changes the composite. See how we calculate scores.

82%

Celluloid Score Recommended

4-input transparent breakdown

85% Editorial Rating

87% Audience snapshot · excluded

79 Metascore

★★★★☆ Letterboxd 4

8.3 IMDb /10

Watch Trailer

Runtime: 2h 2m
Cast: Kevin Spacey , Annette Bening , Thora Birch , Wes Bentley , Mena Suvari , Peter Gallagher , Allison Janney , Chris Cooper , Scott Bakula , Sam Robards
Country: United States
Language: English

Official theatrical poster for American Beauty (1999)

Theatrical release

Where to watch

Streaming availability varies by region — currently on Prime Video, Paramount+ in the United Kingdom. Check local listings for your region.

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Where to watch American Beauty by country

Country	Streaming on
Indonesia	Vidio, HBO Max
Japan	U-NEXT
Malaysia	HBO Max
Philippines	HBO Max
Thailand	HBO Max
United Kingdom	Prime Video, Paramount+

Subscription availability, refreshed from TMDB. Rental and purchase options may differ.

Why this score?

Celluloid's editorial rating is positive (85/100).
General viewers mostly liked it (87%).
Metascore is generally favorable (79/100).
Letterboxd diarists rate it highly (4/5).
IMDb users score it 8.3/10.

Best for

Viewers who want a well-regarded drama pick

Not ideal for

Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

Streaming availability, artwork and title metadata courtesy of TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Is American Beauty worth watching?

Yes — American Beauty earns a 82% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

Celluloid Verdict

IMDb Top 250 #86 (8.3/10) — American Beauty remains one of the most highly rated films of all time.
Celluloid editorial verdict

Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

What is American Beauty about?

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.

Watch the Trailer

American Beauty stills

Official production imagery supplied through TMDB, kept with the movie instead of split into a thin gallery page.

Images courtesy of TMDB. TMDB does not endorse or certify Celluloid.

Reader takes

No reader takes published yet — be the first helpful voice.