Revolutionary Road
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Actor: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprioBrand: DICAPRIO,LEONARDO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Unknown); French (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
Published: 2009-06-01
DVD Release Date: 2009-06-02
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Revolutionary Road
DVD Review: The Stuff That Great Drama Is Made Of
Summary: 5 Stars
"If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy." - Richard Yates on his novel, "Revolutionary Road"
The above quote gives one a pretty good idea that "Revolutionary Road" is not a simplistic or feel-good film, rather a film that dares to imply that society is naïve, misled, too quick to conform, and that people lack the courage to do what truly makes them happy because they are too concerned with comfort and safety. It does this through the "everyday" couple, Frank and April Wheeler, and how it does so may touch a nerve or two in those who have ignored their hearts' desires or their discontent for the sake of sufficiency.
From the beginning, it is clear that the Wheelers' marriage is anything but happy. They are shown meeting at a party for the first time, locking eyes across the room and then the movie swiftly centers on their present relationship in 1955, the two of them married with children and consumed by their own disillusionment. To an outside observer, April (Winslet) and Frank (DiCaprio) are living the American dream, their comfortable lifestyle in suburban Connecticut seeming to include everything but the white picket fence. What bubbles beneath the surface is Frank's dissatisfaction with his compliance to conformity, his identity lost in a job he could care less about in the effort to support his family. April is equally dissatisfied with her role as a housewife, wanting something more exciting and meaningful than what everyone else is scrambling to achieve. The disappointment with their stations in life peaks when Frank has an affair with a secretary at his office on his 30th birthday (the day after a nasty argument with his wife), only to be surprised that evening by an apologetic April who has put on a pretty dress and baked a cake. She later stuns him with a proposal to move to Paris and Frank is dismissive of the idea at first, viewing it as nonsensical. When April begins to appeal to his ego, telling him that she will work to support the family while he spends time finding his true vocation, he warms to the idea and the move breathes optimism and romance back into their marriage.
Seemingly happy, the Wheelers begin telling their friends and acquaintances about their plan and are met with criticism, most deeming the move irresponsible and unrealistic. Frank begins to cave from peer pressure and when he is recognized at work for his efforts and offered a promotion, their plans become shaky. The clincher is April's unexpected pregnancy, an event that completely rules out Paris for Frank and has him taking the job offered to him. Crushed by Frank's decision to keep them in the wearisome lifestyle that has made them so unhappy in the first place, April becomes cold and despondent and what hope their marriage had of repairing itself crumbles quickly and climactically.
Great dramas ride high on illuminative dialogue and the execution of its main actors and both elements are in top form here - you'll rarely glimpse perfection like this, no matter how many films you watch in your lifetime. There are movies I have watched where I enjoyed them but had little to say about them; "Revolutionary Road" differs in that after watching it, I can't say ENOUGH.
Nearly everyone involved in this project was highly passionate about the material - most of them had read Yates's 1962 novel and commented on how well it was written, that it was among their favorite novels of all time. Justin Haythe is among those people and his screenplay is outstanding - I found myself wanting to write down several lines I heard, so many of them quotable that I couldn't possibly put them all in this review (truthfully, I would love to have a copy of the entire screenplay). Haythe borrowed heavily from the novel's own language as well as producing some wonderful material of his own, and I'm a little surprised that it didn't even get an Oscar nod ("Slumdog Millionaire" won the Best Adapted category. Again, WHY?). The exchanges between April and Frank teeter back and forth from sympathetic and understanding to downright spiteful - some of their remarks towards one another are so cutting at times that the viewer feels stung by them just standing on the outside listening in.
In fact, I'm surprised that it didn't get more than three nominations total in 2008, among them Art Direction (courtesy of Kristi Zea and Debra Schutt, who brought the 1950's alive like never before - it's all in the little details) and Costume Design (I loved the majority of Winslet's wardrobe - simplistic and chic). Perhaps the most surprising was an out-of-the-blue nomination for little-known actor Michael Shannon for his scene-stealing supporting turn as John Givings, a man who from the beginning speaks cold hard truths everyone knows but no one wants to hear.
Master cinematographer Roger Deakins is onboard this project and his ingenuity knows no bounds. Sam Mendes, a director who loves to play with light and shadow, has a cooperation with Deakins that produces iconic imagery with stark contrast both visual and metaphorical. For the actors, there is no soft lens - every wrinkle, crag, scar and physical imperfection is there for the world to see, making their characters more relative and real to their audience. For the sets, sunlight brightens a cheery and conservatively decorated living room, clashing with the cluttered darkness of the Wheeler's marriage, giving the impression that all is not how it appears. Shooting within the house, though significantly larger than houses in the 50's typically were, was still a challenge - Deakins squeezed himself into the confined rooms, neck and neck with the actors, creating a physical and psychological claustrophobia that radiates into the story and the performances.
DiCaprio and Winslet tear the house down as Frank and April Wheeler, their on-screen dynamic trumping that of their first collaboration in 1997's "Titanic" (of course, this film is of a completely different ilk and highly unromantic). Of their fight scenes, DiCaprio was quoted as saying, "So much of what happens between Frank and April in this film is what's left unsaid. I actually found it a real joy to do those fight scenes because finally, these people were letting each other have it." Because he and Winslet are such great friends in real life, their portrayal of a husband and wife is highly believable and Winslet even had to take a moment to compose herself during one of their tougher scenes because DiCaprio had never been that angry and physically violent towards her before. Though she won an Academy Award for her role in "The Reader" the same year, THIS is the better performance of the two by leaps and bounds.
While the actors are incredible, it is their characters that one becomes so frustrated with. Though April and Frank struggle with the restrictions of their simplistic lifestyle, it is a prison of their own making and it gets hard for one to sympathize with them after a time, particularly because of their inability to communicate in a meaningful way and to come to a compromise of which both of them can be happy. Frank is not a risk-taker and won't squeeze out of his societal niche for the sake of leisure, while April is too impractical in her desire to change things; one will come to wonder about her state of mind not only because of her manipulation but her extreme swings between highs and lows (bipolar) throughout the film. Knowing how difficult they were finding it to see eye to eye after a time and that their feelings for each other had diminished to a certain degree, I don't know why they felt the need to stay together. Divorce was certainly an option for them instead of what April chooses to do later on.
Bottom line: A dark and emotional journey through a dysfunctional marriage and how the choices we make in life can inspire or delude us, "Revolutionary Road" captures that truth of which so many of us choose to avert our eyes. It is a film that will make a deep impact with those who thought - or knew better than - to trust our ideals.
Description of Revolutionary Road
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 2-JUN-2009
Media Type: DVD
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