Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, and Michael Shannon. (and no - Michael Shannon was not in Titanic...)
The Plot: Based on Richard Yates novel from 1962, Revolutionary Road explores the relationship between a handsome couple (Leo and Winslet) who have seemingly everything going for them, but can't find a single ounce of happiness in suburban wedded bliss.
Plans are plotted and hatched to save themselves from the ever growing nightmare of normal 9 to 5 living. But as anyone with a job, a house, and a few kids will tell you, not everything in life goes according to plan...
The Good: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead) is back behind the camera lens. Even better he's decided to adapt a classic American National Book Award finalist for his next motion picture. And even better than that is that he managed to cast the doomed couple from Titanic as his film leads.
There really is no way to discuss Revolutionary Road without starting off with how outstanding Leonardo DiCaprio's performance is in this film. We've seen Leo kick ass in front of a camera before - in this film he actually manages to crank his usually impressive acting skills up to a place we haven't seen him reach before this.
If you aren't moved by this performance, or enraged by it depending on whose side of this story your empathy is invested in, then you aren't a human being - you're an android. (or a sociopath - or a telemarketer - which has equal portions of both)
DiCaprio absolutely explodes in this role. I'm doubting he could have had taken his acting chops to this level without the solidarity between himself and Kate Winslet. Both of these actors work film miracles together. This is a couple we've seen on the big screen before - but we haven't seen them like this. We haven't seen them this broken, this on fire, this hopeless before.
The one thing that struck me with this film is that after it concluded, (even now long after it concluded) it stuck with me. Sure this isn't the funnest movie to sit through. But I did remain seated for the duration. And it left me with alot to mull over when I had finally left the theater. Sort of like Mendes American Beauty, (though not nearly as fun) there are many, many, things going on behind the blinds, and under the skin of this story. So much that you will find yourself discussing this flick with the folks you may have unwittingly drug to see the movie with you.
A word of caution here. I probably shouldn't have taken my 20 year old brother to this film. Though I could relate to the everyday trials and tribulations of these two people, a younger person might find it tough to sit through. They just might hate you for picking the movie with this one. It is a meaty movie - though not everyone will have the dexterity or commitment to gulp it all down.
Last of all I just wanted to mention what a life saver Michael Shannon is. Every scene with his character, the certifiably insane John Givings, is a major light shining brightly in an otherwise bleak and dreary place. Shannon is a scene stealer. Which his fan club can and will attest to.
The Bad: Did I just say bleak and dreary in that last paragraph? You bet I did. Sitting through Revolutionary Road is like watching your parents get into a screaming match for two straight hours. It's not the most comfortable place to be for most of its duration. You may leave the theater stuffed with popcorn and candy, but most definitely not a strong dose of the warm fuzzies. This isn't "feel good" country we're hiking in here.
The Ugly: I'll say it. People may have bitched that Return of the King had too many endings. There was a point in Revolutionary Road where I felt that the film was ending - and it seemed organically right for the film adaptation of this novel to conclude at this moment - but it didn't. In fact it went on breaking through the barricades of two or three more possible "The End" points before finally coasting to a solid stop.
The real end though, when it finally did arrive may have been the most haunting, most telling scene to the whole film. So there was a bit o' Good in the old Ugly...
The Verdict: Smart. Edgy. Well acted. And almost unbearably painful to sit through. When the final scenes of Revolutionary Road did conclude I was left a bit off tilt - but I had much to think over and process.
This is seriously NOT a movie for everybody. Depending on where you are in life, or what trials and errors you may have been through yourself, you will take something different away from this film. When I left it my brain was buzzing like a nest of riled hornets. Something that rarely happens on that long quiet walk from theater to car.
For you Titanic crazies who are going to pay to see this, ( and I'm one of you, so that was a compliment) just to see Leo and Winslet onscreen together again, please keep in mind that Titanic is a much sunnier film. Ending included.
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