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Amazon.co.uk Review
In Revolutionary Road, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for the first time since their careers exploded with Titanic--and it's almost as if they're playing the same characters, only married and faced with the hollowness of a 1950s suburban existence. Frank and April Wheeler (DiCaprio and Winslet) always thought of themselves as special, but they settled in a conventional Connecticut suburb when they had children. Hungry for a less constricted life, April persuades Frank to move to Paris--but slowly their plans unravel and their marriage unravels along with it. While Revolutionary Road may be a bit too glib about suburban emptiness--the lives Frank and April lead don't seem so stifled--the portrait of a mismatched marriage is vivid and devastating. The ways that Frank and April misinterpret each other, and the subtle yet unbearable dissatisfaction they feel, is rendered with remarkable and unsettling acuteness. Winslet and DiCaprio's natural chemistry tells us what drew these two together, making the way they tear each other apart all the more shocking. The excellent supporting cast includes Kathy Bates (Misery), Dylan Baker (Happiness), and especially Michael Shannon (Bug) as a mentally troubled mathematician who cuts to the quick of the Wheelers' troubles. Mention must be made of the beautiful production design; the costumes and sets are simply gorgeous. --Bret Fetzer
Synopsis
More than a decade after sharing the screen in the record-breaking Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite for this adaptation of Richard Yates's novel. This drama about a married couple in the 1950s is directed by Winslet's husband, Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition). Stills from Revolutionary Road
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a review of the standard definition DVD, not the Blu-ray version.
Based on the late Richard Yates novel of the same title written nearly fifty years ago, Revolutionary Road is a drama surrounding a Connecticut couple living the suburban American dream of the 1950s whose marriage turns from sweet and nice-as-pie to something altogether more bitter and distasteful. Of course it brings together the leading actors of the biggest-selling movie of all time (Titanic, in case you didn't know) and once again I think Dicaprio is the weak link of the two, because although he has gained a lot of experience over the past decade and more, and has matured as an inevitability, so too has Kate Winslet, who shows her genuine A-list rating and who has garnered widespread acclaim for a number of leading awards. In this film she plays a housewife who believes that there must be more to life outside of and beyond their comfortable, white-picket-fenced but mundane existence. She puts the idea of a trip to Paris to her sceptical, conformist and less ambitious husband.
This is very much an actors' piece and something that I was eagerly looking forward to, not least because the man at its helm is none other than Sam Mendes (Kate Winslet's real-life husband) who also directed AMERICAN BEAUTY, one of the best films I have ever seen. Perhaps because of that I expected more satire, more black humour than is actually the case - but then I have not read the novel so these were, I now know in hindsight, misplaced expectations. This film is none the worse for any absence of cynical stereotypes, however. Instead it is intense to the point of being gruelling and draining, but ultimately a rewarding, memorable and emotionally gripping experience. Dare I suggest that the plight of the Wheelers will touch a nerve in more than a few couples who have been married for several years, have had the children, remember the dreams they once had and how determined they once were not to be just like everybody else, until one day they realise that that is exactly what has happened. In this way it sometimes feels like a disturbingly voyeuristic peep into our own lives, despite the two- or even three-generation gap between then and now.
It may be fiction, but thanks to top-class acting from Winslet and even better direction from Mendes, this makes us face up to and consider some uncomfortable home truths.
Based on the late Richard Yates novel of the same title written nearly fifty years ago, Revolutionary Road is a drama surrounding a Connecticut couple living the suburban American dream of the 1950s whose marriage turns from sweet and nice-as-pie to something altogether more bitter and distasteful. Of course it brings together the leading actors of the biggest-selling movie of all time (Titanic, in case you didn't know) and once again I think Dicaprio is the weak link of the two, because although he has gained a lot of experience over the past decade and more, and has matured as an inevitability, so too has Kate Winslet, who shows her genuine A-list rating and who has garnered widespread acclaim for a number of leading awards. In this film she plays a housewife who believes that there must be more to life outside of and beyond their comfortable, white-picket-fenced but mundane existence. She puts the idea of a trip to Paris to her sceptical, conformist and less ambitious husband.
This is very much an actors' piece and something that I was eagerly looking forward to, not least because the man at its helm is none other than Sam Mendes (Kate Winslet's real-life husband) who also directed AMERICAN BEAUTY, one of the best films I have ever seen. Perhaps because of that I expected more satire, more black humour than is actually the case - but then I have not read the novel so these were, I now know in hindsight, misplaced expectations. This film is none the worse for any absence of cynical stereotypes, however. Instead it is intense to the point of being gruelling and draining, but ultimately a rewarding, memorable and emotionally gripping experience. Dare I suggest that the plight of the Wheelers will touch a nerve in more than a few couples who have been married for several years, have had the children, remember the dreams they once had and how determined they once were not to be just like everybody else, until one day they realise that that is exactly what has happened. In this way it sometimes feels like a disturbingly voyeuristic peep into our own lives, despite the two- or even three-generation gap between then and now.
It may be fiction, but thanks to top-class acting from Winslet and even better direction from Mendes, this makes us face up to and consider some uncomfortable home truths.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A fantastic film looking at suburban life and the basic desires that drive people. Kate Winslet stands head and shoulders above most other actresses with an amazing performance, managing to instill a believable humanity in what could have been a very unsympathetic character. If you're feeling frustrated with your life then this film really strikes a cord.
32 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
You don't get many laughs here and unlike Sam Mendes' superb "American Beauty" there aren't any layers or clever twists to keep your attention... just a depressingly bleak story about a couple watching their hopes & dreams disintegrate as the reality of the suburban life they're locked into hits home.
So worth the effort? Absolutely, for two reasons. Firstly, the acting is brilliant - Kate Winslet, quite rightly, wins huge praise for her portrayal of the frustrated and tormented wife but in many ways it's Leonardo DiCaprio who has the more difficult role as the confused husband and, despite unfair criticisms about his "boyish looks", he carries it off convincingly and equally superbly. Together, they're incredible - so good that they become wholly believable people trapped in a wholly believable marriage.
And, secondly, despite the one-dimensional story and the effort of watching it slowly unfold to a fairly predictable conclusion, this is powerful stuff: couples argue like this, lovers hurt each other like this, people destroy each other's dreams like this, and real life is like this... so much so that it's at times deeply uncomfortable viewing. Not much fun then but after getting through it all you won't forget it in a hurry and, on the way, you'll witness some of the best acting you've ever seen.
So worth the effort? Absolutely, for two reasons. Firstly, the acting is brilliant - Kate Winslet, quite rightly, wins huge praise for her portrayal of the frustrated and tormented wife but in many ways it's Leonardo DiCaprio who has the more difficult role as the confused husband and, despite unfair criticisms about his "boyish looks", he carries it off convincingly and equally superbly. Together, they're incredible - so good that they become wholly believable people trapped in a wholly believable marriage.
And, secondly, despite the one-dimensional story and the effort of watching it slowly unfold to a fairly predictable conclusion, this is powerful stuff: couples argue like this, lovers hurt each other like this, people destroy each other's dreams like this, and real life is like this... so much so that it's at times deeply uncomfortable viewing. Not much fun then but after getting through it all you won't forget it in a hurry and, on the way, you'll witness some of the best acting you've ever seen.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Liked very much
I really enjoyed (well enjoyed may not be the right word!) this film and i think it gets a lot of undue critism. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Bo
Frank and April Wheeler have inadvertently become the conformist...
Frank and April Wheeler have inadvertently become the conformist suburbanites they once sneered at, and when a planned escape to a new life in Paris falls through, the cracks in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. C. R. Greenhough
A Good Movie, but really slow and ot a little boring
This is an OK film. It graged on and on but still it was desent. I did not like leo's charter and april was not a great charter. it was too slow,too much drama and kinda boring. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. standen
beautiful!
I bought this film today and have already watched it twice, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are brilliant in this, their acting is definitely at it's best, and yes the plot can... Read more
Published 5 months ago by charleyb
Brilliant film, better than expected
I was really surprised by this film, and honestly didnt expect much, but what a great film. I love the era it was based around, and was shot beautifully. Read more
Published 8 months ago by TheLilacroom
Convolutions
Revolutionary Road is a very watchable emotional rollercoaster of a film which develops more like a melodrama play than a film. Read more
Published 8 months ago by W. Rodick
Grim and potent look at a failing marriage.
It's the mid 1950s and Frank and April Wheeler are not so much facing the seven year itch in their marriage, but more an opening wound from which forms a chasm of despair that is... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Spike Owen
not happy people
I don't know what to say about this movie. I gave it 4 stars because it was really well acted and Kate Winslet especially did a great job. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Green Book Addict Librarian
powerful drama
If you think that seeing two people argue and tear each other to pieces emotionally is entertaining then you will love this film. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ms. M. Potter
Excellent
While the film starts slowly there's a dramatic build-up that's worth the wait. The film is full of depth and both the lead and main supporting actors are excellent. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Rose
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