American Beauty was not considered an immediate favorite to dominate the American awards season . Several other contenders opened at the end of 1999 , and US critics spread their honors among them when compiling their end @-@ of @-@ year lists . The Chicago Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Film Critics Association named the film the best of 1999 , but while the New York Film Critics Circle , the National Society of Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association recognized American Beauty , they gave their top awards to other films . By the end of the year , reports of a critical backlash suggested American Beauty was the underdog in the race for Best Picture ; however , at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2000 , American Beauty won Best Film , Best Director and Best Screenplay .