Revolutionary Road Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: December 29th, 2008

It has been 11 years since the mega blockbuster Titanic and the time is ripe for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to reunite.  With The Dark Knight swooping in on its legacy and the actors in the prime of their careers, it only seems natural to revisit their on-screen relationship.  Revolutionary Road gives us the opportunity to see what it would be like if Jack survived, only to toil in the trappings of suburbia with Rose.

As Frank and April Wheeler, they are a married couple living the “perfect” life and occupying a quaint house in an idyllic neighborhood during the mid-1950s.  Fast flashbacks give glimpses of when they fell in love and stared dreamily into each others eyes while they danced.  It quickly covers the first half of the 1961 novel by Richard Yates, called one of the top 100 English-language books (1923-present) by Time Magazine.

The film picks up at a disastrous stage performance by April Wheeler (Winslet), who realizes before the curtain drops that her dream of being an actress is over.  She reluctantly returns to her expected housewife role and wonders how this ship veered off course.  Another character describes her as “tough” and “adequate as hell,” which she dutifully accepts in a flowered dress at a table she neatly prepared.  But her far off eyes and chain-smoking habit suggest a boiling resentment for the “hopeless emptiness” of what she’s become.

Frank (DiCaprio) is everything he vowed he would do differently than his father.  On weekdays he rides into the city and slumps in a cubicle, loathing the same job his old man used to hate.  On weekends he looks after his two children and entertains guests who seem happy to conform.  In a drunken stupor Frank tells the secretary he’s having an affair with that he’s a joke.

But the Wheelers hope for more than co-existence.  An occasional glance at the past shows the lofty ambitions they shared years ago.  Together, in their clean house on Revolutionary Road, they devise a plan to break the mold of civilized society and escape to Paris.  A bold, new beginning would mean abandoning their comfortable home and their miserable lives within it.  While they prepare for the move they are finally happy, but soon the Wheelers are faced with once again compromising their future.

Kate Winslet gives the definitive female performance of the year.  Her arcing character is captured in the immaculate expressions of Winslet’s broad range of emotions.  The performance is nothing short of amazing and is proof that she is one of the finest actresses of our generation.  In one powerful scene, Winslet smiles politely to maintain the perceived appearance of normalcy, but her eyes betray her dishonest thoughts and as the expression fades you can sense the darkness she’s feeling.  With one look she foreshadows the bleak direction the film is headed.  Truly great.

DiCaprio delivers a fine performance as well, shouting in desperation and physically cracking under the pressure.  His breakdown is brutal to watch.

But the scene-stealer is Michael Shannon, a man allowed visits from the local asylum where he’s labeled insane for fighting against society’s facade.  In reality, he’s the only one who tells the truth among the fakes.  “Anyone comes along and says ‘What do you do it for?’ he’s probably on a four-hour pass from the state funny farm,” he says.

All are directed by Sam Mendes, who returns to the thematic realm of his brilliant film American Beauty.  His calculated direction works well here, painting a picture of a well-off lifestyle and how it suffocates its free-spirited residents.  But while we may understand the purpose behind their convictions, the film doesn’t give much in the way of relative messaging.  Sure, they’re miserable, but how does that translate to the audience’s own situation?

Despite a cold ending, Revolutionary Road is one of the best of 2008.  It’s more than just a simple reunion of Leo and Kate, but a screaming assertion to be noticed among the wave of ho-hum actors and familiar movies.

4.5 out of 5.