Won: Five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), 2000 One of those that we all seemed to lose our collective sh*t about when it came out - only to have seen its status slip dramatically over time - some now question how worthy a Best Picture winner American Beauty actually was, especially when you consider that it beat out Michael Mann's far superior masterpiece, The Insider. Still, it's easy to slate American Beauty in hindsight, and while it's true that it's become a massively overrated film, it remains that it's far from poor and has plenty to offer. Not least is Kevin Spacey's standout performance, which here won the performer his second Oscar, and his first as Lead Actor (he'd previously won Supporting for The Usual Suspects). Moreover, American Beauty actually won four of the Big Five (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Actress) on the night, losing out only on Annette Bening's nomination, which was replaced by a win for Conrad L. Hall's Cinematography. In winning Best Director, Sam Mendes became one of only six men to win the award with his first film, joining the likes of Robert Redford (Ordinary People) and Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves) in the process.
