– Director: Sam Mendes

– Stacker score: 91.3

– Metascore: 84

– IMDb user rating: 8.3

– Runtime: 122 minutes

“American Beauty” racked up five Oscar wins at the 72nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Kevin Spacey. He plays Lester Burnham, a sexually repressed suburbanite who falls in love with one of his daughter’s underage friends, while his wife cheats on him and his daughter explores her own nascent sexuality. It was director Sam Mendes’ feature film debut after first finding fans as a theater director.