American Beauty (1999)

Ordinary People (1980)
A shot of the Burnham family eating at the dining room table is an homage to a similar scene in Ordinary People. Director Sam Mendes confirms this in the DVD commentary.

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

Beau Pere (1981)

Bliss (1985)

Re-Animator (1985)
The characters talk about a scene of the movie.

True Stories (1986)

Withnail & I (1987)

America's Funniest Home Videos (1989) (TV Series)

The Borrower (1991)

Benny's Video (1992)
Very similar behavior of the video guy (Ricky Fitts / Benny)

Patriot Games (1992)
In American Beauty, the childhood pictures of Thora Birch (one of her in a tuxedo-like outfit) previously appeared in Patriot Games (1992).

The Ref (1994)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

The Cable Guy (1996)

Wag the Dog (1997)

American Pie (1999)
One of three 1999 movies with Mena Suvari that begin with the word "American."

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
The end credits extend special thanks to "Dr. Bill & Alice."

Live Virgin (1999)
One of three 1999 movies with Mena Suvari that begin with the word "American."

Referenced in

Fight Club (1999)
Seen on a marquee when Jack puts Marla on the bus.

The Insider (1999)

The Sims (2000) (Video Game)

What Planet Are You From? (2000)

Still Tickin': The Return of A Clockwork Orange (2000) (TV Movie)
Sam Mendes as credited as "Director: American Beauty" and says Alex's voiceover was an influence how on he handled Lester's voiceover.

The Simpsons: Behind the Laughter (2000) (TV Episode)
The floating bag scene is the same in the episode as in the movie

Chiedimi se sono felice (2000)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Bodilfesten 2001 (2001) (TV Special)
Nominated actors belong to this film.

Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001) (Video Game)
In the video after the credits, Conker calls the bartender "Cowboy", and asks him to pour more in his glass, just like Lester.

Tomcats (2001)

The Hole (2001)

Amélie (2001)
Nino carries around a plastic bag and Joseph refers to him in the diner as "the guy with the plastic bag." This is an homage to Ricky Fitts from American Beauty (1999)

Storytelling (2001)

Family Guy: The Kiss Seen Around the World (2001) (TV Episode)
Peter films a plastic bag being blown around in the breeze.

Clara y Elena (2001)
The movie is mentioned by the character played by Carmen Maura

Hello, He Lied & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches (2002) (TV Movie)

Queen of the Damned (2002)

About Schmidt (2002)

Showboy (2002)

Road to Perdition (2002)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Similar opening shot of an endless suburb

Armaan (2003)

Los Serrano: Benny, Tonny y Marky (2003) (TV Episode)
They recreate the famous rose petal scene from American Beauty.

100 Greatest Sexy Moments (2003) (TV Movie)
Referenced by name

Freshman Orientation (2004)
When talking to Tazwell about "perfect moments", Amanda refers to "a white plastic bag whirling in circles in the breeze"

Grace and the Storm (2004)
narrated from beyond the grave

Agnes and His Brothers (2004)
-

Tell Them Who You Are (2004)

Less Like Me (2004)
Version of line spoken by Mena Suvari is spoken

In Good Company (2004)
In the soccer-scene, a line from American Beauty is quoted

Happy Endings (2005)
Discussed by name in the dialogue.

Saturday Night Live: Paul Giamatti/Ludacris featuring Sum-41 (2005) (TV Episode)
Mentioned in the Limo Ride skit

Be Cool (2005)
In dialog, after Tommy is shot.

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005)
Poster is shown.

Madagascar (2005)
Alex is laying on the beach with steaks coming from above

HBO First Look: Jarhead (2005) (TV Episode)
mentioned once

Kids in America (2005)
Holden mentions the film in one scene.

Mouse in My House (2006) (Short)
"I will catch this mouse today." / "I will sell this house today."

Jeopardy!: Episode #22.102 (2006) (TV Episode)
all Jeopardy! round category titles allude to Oscar winners for Best Picture, including "American Beauty"

Nowhere Fast (2006)
Ben at one point films a plastic bag

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Rashomama (2006) (TV Episode)
The music played during in the first two flashbacks (Sara's and Nick's) is the original music from the movie American Beauty

Jeopardy!: Episode #22.225 (2006) (TV Episode)
referenced in clue in "Pick the Oscar Winner" category

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Toe Tags (2006) (TV Episode)
When Catherine found a rose petal from a dead girl, she mentions "American Beauty", refering to the scene with Mena Suvari and a rain of rose petals.

Heroes: Chapter Seven 'Nothing to Hide' (2006) (TV Episode)
Ted mentions that he and his wife used to listen to the "American Beauty" album.

Saturday Night Live: Annette Bening/Gwen Stefani/Akon (2006) (TV Episode)
referenced during the monologue

Veronica Mars: Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves (2007) (TV Episode)
When a classmate is talking about how he bonded with the woman he loves, Veronica says, "And how when you see a plastic bag flying around you think there's so much beauty in the world you can't take it?" In American Beauty, Ricky and Jane bond over the most beautiful tlhing Ricky filmed, a plastic bag dancing in the wind.

Lost in Plainview (2007)
mentioned in dialogue

I Want Candy (2007)
Baggy plans to rent the film from the video store.

Entourage: Less Than 30 (2007) (TV Episode)
Sam Mendes and the movie are mentioned by Vince

Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Video case is shown.

Saturday Night Live: Michael Phelps/Lil' Wayne (2008) (TV Episode)
The bag from that movie is mentioned in Pizzeria Uno sketch

At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (2008) (TV Episode)
Mentioned in a review of Revolutionary Road as another film directed by Sam Mendes.

Fat People (2009)
The mother stands up during the dinner and throws the dish to the wall

The Making of 'Away We Go' (2009) (Video)
mentioned by Sam Mendes

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.37 (2009) (TV Episode)
Included in a $7,500 question

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 4 (2010) (TV Episode)
Contestant mentions the film's Oscar win

Kick-Ass (2010)
Dave uses this as an example of why his narration does not prove he survived

Jeopardy!: Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Semifinal 2 (2010) (TV Episode)
Subject of a $1,200 clue in the category "Directors' First Features"

Tere Bin Laden (2010)
DVD case in Ali's home

NCIS: Dead Air (2010) (TV Episode)
DiNozzo name drops the film

IMDb's 20th Anniversary Star of the Day: Jessica Lowndes (2010) (TV Episode)
Jessica Lowndes talks about this movie during interview

Henry & Aaron's 7 Steps to Superstardom: Adopt Foreign Orphans (2011) (TV Episode)
the dinner scene was inspired by American Beauty

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.203 (2011) (TV Episode)
Jay mentions that Allison Janney was in the film

The RAs: Unwanted Child Throw-Up (2011) (TV Episode)
During the scene where Ramona complains about being an RA, Josh hangs a poster for an off-campus trip to see American Beauty

10 pelis (2011)
Talked about

Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.13 (2011) (TV Episode)
Christy says that Kevin Spacey played a smarmy character in the film, but much better than he did in "Father of Invention"

Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.49 (2012) (TV Episode)
Chelsea mentions Mena Suvari's "American" projects.

Special Collector's Edition: La última noche del Titanic (2012) (TV Episode)
release mentioned

Features

This Is the Army (1943)

Featured in

The 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2000) (TV Special)
clips

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000) (TV Special)

American Beauty: Look Closer... (2000) (Video)

In Praise of Love (2001)

Carving Out Our Name (2001)
Covers the making and the premiere of American Beauty

100 Greatest Sexy Moments (2003) (TV Movie)
Clips are shown

Masters of Production: The Hidden Art of Hollywood (2004) (TV Movie)
Discusses Production Design

The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005) (TV Special)
Clips from the film were shown on the television display on the set.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Clip

Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV Movie)
A clip is shown

Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV Movie)
A clip is shown

SexTV: Cheerleader: The Changing Face of an American Icon (2007) (TV Episode)
Clips from film are used in episode.

20 to 1: Sexiest Movie Moments (2007) (TV Episode)
Clips shown in a segment on its rose petal scene.

The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV Special)
Featured in Best Picture montage.

The Culture Show: Episode #11.7 (2009) (TV Episode)
Clip shown.

My Big Break (2009)
Follows Wes Bentley while he played Ricky Fitts

The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Surrogates/Pandorum/Fame (2009) (TV Episode)
"You're Not Going to Get Away With This" segment

Starz Inside: Sex and the Cinema (2009) (TV Movie)
Clips featured.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.80 (2011) (TV Episode)
a clip is shown in a montage of Annette Bening films

Hollywood's Top Ten: Best Actor Oscar Winners (2011) (TV Episode)
Kevin Spacey gets an honorable mention, clips shown

David Walliams' Awfully Good: Awfully Good Movies (2011) (TV Episode)
Worst movie lines

De wereld draait door: Episode #8.31 (2012) (TV Episode)
A fragment is shown.

Spoofs

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Spoofed in

All American Beauties (2000) (Video)
rose petal sequence at beginning

Otto - Der Katastrofenfilm (2000)

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000) (TV Special)
Billy Crystal's Opening Skit

Law & Order: High & Low (2000) (TV Episode)
Fictitious porn title- "American Booty"

Scary Movie (2000)
When Bobby is on the bed and Cindy is covered with semen on the ceiling like Angela in AB covered in rose petals

Whipped (2000)

Good Eats: American Pickle (2000) (TV Episode)
Chuck films a plastic produce bag floating around a grocery store while talking about the fleeting beauty to be found there.

American Beauty Pie (2000) (Short)
this short film is a parody of Amer. Pie and Amer. Beauty, they have some of the same dialogue and plotlines

Comedy Lab: Anderson (2000) (TV Episode)
Spoof of the plastic bag scene

Chiedimi se sono felice (2000)

Saturday Night Live: Mena Suvari/Lenny Kravitz (2001) (TV Episode)
Spoofed during the monologue

Malcolm in the Middle: Hal Quits (2001) (TV Episode)
Hal strips naked and covers himself in roses, spoofing the iconic scene in "American Beauty."

The Holly Wood Project (2001) (Short)
Shot for shot recreation of American Beauty trailer.

Tomcats (2001)

Storytelling (2001)

Son of the Beach: It's Showtime at the Apollo 13! (2001) (TV Episode)
The dream sequence spoofed.

Family Guy: The Kiss Seen Around the World (2001) (TV Episode)
Video taping Bag scene

Family Guy: Peter Griffin: Husband, Father... Brother? (2001) (TV Episode)
When the cheerleaders perform at Chris's basketball game Peter has a vision like that of Lester in "American Beauty" with the flying rose petals.

Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
weird guy with video camera loves bag

Sorority Boys (2002)

The Wrong Coast (2004) (TV Mini-Series)
"American Beauty" spoofed as "American Booty"

Madagascar (2005)
plays the American Beauty & spoofs the rose petal scene when everything Alex sees becomes a steak

Camp Cuddly Pines Powertool Massacre (2005) (Video)
Rayford always has a handheld camera and dresses like Ricky Fitts from AB, girl claims he watches her from next door

Daisy Does... (2006) (Short)
Daisy Dog recreates scene with red satin and rose petals

Robot Chicken: Donkey Punch (2006) (TV Episode)
painting of Gary Coleman naked covered in roses

What What (In the Butt) (2007) (Short)
the scene where Samwell is nude in the rose petals

The Break-Up Artist (2009)
The bed of roses scene

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
Nanette daydreams about being covered in rose petals, which spoofs the shot of Angela Hayes in "American Beauty."

The Simpsons: The Spy Who Learned Me (2012) (TV Episode)
one of the beautiful things Homer sees is a floating bag that Barney inhales