American Beauty (The Awards Widescreen Edition) - DVD (Used)

From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried Everyman whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave. The Awards Edition contains 80 minutes of extras. The first is an exclusive segment on the film's storyboards with commentary by director Sam Mendes and photography director Conrad Hall. A featurette called "The Making of American Beauty" is also included.