Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Revolutionary Road, 16 Feb 2009
`Revolutionary Road' tells the story of Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) who are a young married couple with two children who live a life that appears perfect but to them it isn't. After many arguments and near break-ups, April suggests that they live their dream and move to Paris. Franks hates his job so has nothing to lose, so he agrees. But then their circumstances change and April decides she will do anything to get out of their unhappy relationship.
I'm a massive fan of Sam Mendes' other films American Beauty and Road to Perdition so I couldn't wait to see this, and now that I have I am not disappointed at all. The story is quite a basic romance/break-up film but has such a good script and casting, with an amazing and believable 1950's suburban setting, it is just fantastic. DiCaprio and Winslet are both excellent, their arguments are very heated and the chemistry between them feels very real.
Don't expect a happy film here though - it does show the harsh realities of love that most films of this kind avoid and seem to live in some perfect dream world. In `Revolutionary Road' it shows all potential down falls in relationships and tries to find a way to fix them, which sometimes fails but sometimes is successful and this is what makes this film so refreshing and, although depressing at times, quite heart-lifting as it shows that even in movies Hollywood romance is not always a happy one.
Overall this film isn't going to be for everyone but for me I thoroughly enjoyed it and may even give the book that this is based upon a read soon. It also has an incredible score from Thomas Newman that really fits in well with the mood of the film.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bleak, brilliantly acted and disarmingly powerful..., 22 Feb 2009
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.
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21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Revolutionary Road, 30 Mar 2009
Did you ever see the alternate ending to Titanic on the special edition DVD? Nope? I'll tell you what happens. Rather than dying, Jack and Rose were both rescued, got married, had kids and moved to the suburbs (the time-scales between the two films aren't right, but you try writing review intros). Unfortunately, life hasn't been that good for the young couple, and it's the suburbs, not a giant iceberg, which threatens their happiness.
It's 1955 and young married couple Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) Wheeler are in their seventh year of marriage. Living in the suburbs, Frank commutes to his job in New York City, whilst April stays at home. However, things are far from perfect. Both feel trapped by their lives - Frank by his unchallenging job and April by the monotony of `keeping house'. When they plan to escape and set up a new life in Paris, the attitudes of those around them make this easier said than done.
Director Sam Mendes (aka Mr Winslet) has experience showing us the darker side of the American dream with the award winning American Beauty. In it his debut feature, he exposed the rot behind the white picket fences, mixing drama and extremely dark humour to great effect. Revolutionary Road transfers the same material back to 1950s America, when life in the suburbs was on the rise. It is an exemplary examination of how the attitudes of society can influence the attitudes of individuals, especially when April and Frank announce to their friends and neighbours their plans to move to Paris. However, the dry, dark humour of American Beauty has been replaced by lots and lots (and lots) of shouting and arguing, making for an ultra depressing film.
Things weren't always bad for the Wheelers. The start of the film flashes back to the night they met, and later, we see them buying their home on Revolutionary Road. Apart from this, we see nothing else of April and Frank's past, and no indication as to how their relationship deteriorated and ended up in the state it's in. The continual arguing between the young couple eventually becomes tedious, with the film probably finding a more appropriate home on the stage, rather than the screen. However, confining Revolutionary Road to the stage would deprive audiences of Roger Deakins' always superb cinematography.
Kate Winslet, in her second sterling performance in as many months, rescues the film as downtrodden wife April Wheeler, whose dreams have been dashed by the expectations of society. It's a confident and harrowing performance from Winslet, with her sullen face saying more than much of the dialogue can. Leonardo DiCaprio sails through the film on a cloud of tobacco smoke, as the man torn between his wife, his family, his job, society, and ultimately, himself. However, despite the fantastic chemistry between the two leads, at times, Leo's youthful looks can make him seem like Kate's toy-boy, or even her son, in some scenes.
The fortunes of the supporting cast mixed. Kathy Bates' (another Titanic survivor) interfering neighbour Helen Givings is the embodiment of 1950s `society', and her views on the Wheelers and their lives offer some of the very few chuckles on offer. Her son, portrayed by Michael Shannon, is probably the weakest link in the film. As John Givings, he plays the `crazy neighbour' who `tells it as it is', opening April and Frank's eyes to their problems. This is an extremely poor plot devise, which both the film and book have attempted to explain away by giving the character a history of mental illness.
The Verdict
Despite being superbly acted and beautifully shot, Revolutionary Road is too melodramatic in its ideals, making for an extremely depressing film. And it's probably best for couples to avoid this one.
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