Revolutionary Road
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Kathy Bates
Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty)
Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity
Appropriate for ages 17+
A young couple in the mid-1950s move to the suburbs and struggle with their loss of identity and adventure. Considering their family building to be more of a trap then maturity, they attempt to recover what it is that they thought had brought them together in the first place.
For those expecting Kate and Leo’s return to be a romantic drama, forget about it. I don’t want to give anything important away, but this is not a feel-good movie. This is a film about a couple that married too soon and probably shouldn’t have gotten together in the first place. In that regard, it’s a story that much of America will find very familiar. So while Titanic 2 it isn’t, this is still a very good film that should find a very loyal audience.
What makes it a good film is more than just the story. The acting by everyone is award-worthy and there is an exceptional chemistry, as you might expect, from Kate and Leo in both the way they love and hate each other.
The production is also worth mentioning. Cinematographer Roger Deakins (who also shot this year’s Doubt and The Reader) presents the tale with a crisp, stunning look that adds another dimension to the film. And with the haunting score by Thomas Newman and the theatrical directing of Sam Mendes, this is a movie that I would not be surprised to see getting a nod for best picture at the Oscars this year.
But while I can easily praise the film for its quality, I can’t say that I liked the film that much. I don’t need a happy film to love it, but one this dark and dismal makes it hard for me to tell folks to rush out and see it. A-