| Revolutionary Road (2008) By Cherish Hamutoff Published: January 24, 2009 In a much publicized reunion, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio exchange their young, lustful, unfulfilled (by death) love in Titanic for listless, 30-something, unfulfilled (by marriage) love in Revolutionary Road. April (Winslet) and Frank Wheeler (DiCaprio) are a young, married couple living in an East coast suburbs in the 1950’s. Frank found himself following in his father’s footsteps at a dull office job at an advertising agency, while April tossed away her dreams of becoming an actress when she became a mother and wife. In a last ditch effort to remember what it felt like to be hopeful and alive, they decide to move to France so Frank can find out what he really wants to do while April works at a secretarial job. But, will they make it to Paris or will they stay safely stuck in their pretty little house on the hill? Let me preface by saying I have not read the much loved Richard Yates novel of the same name; sometimes books don’t translate well to film. This film, Revolutionary Road, felt like a meticulously crafted dissertation from the 1950’s: well argued, passionate yet somehow disengaging, and dated. Without it’s two shining stars (Winslet and DiCaprio), this film wouldn’t have even earned comparisons with the much stronger television series, Mad Men, and Director Sam Mendes’ American Beauty. I was glad Winslet received her Golden Globe for this role, but am not surprised she earned her Oscar nom for The Reader instead of Revolutionary Road. She is at the top of her form in a film not quite worthy of her well honed talents. In a role that could easily have been whiny and plastic, Winslet let’s us inside a character struggling with what she hoped would be and what actually is. Every emotional chord is struck, from despair to hope to anger to submission, and Winslet plays them like a pro. The chemistry between Winslet and DiCaprio remains strong, as in their first film together, and their electric fight scenes are difficult to bear. DiCaprio also is on his game, but in a role – through no fault of his – less developed than Winslet’s. His character’s casual affair with a plain co-worker comes off callous and pointless. Michael Shannon as Howard Givings was nominated for an Oscar for his role as the emotionally disturbed son of Helen (Kathy Bates) and John Givings (Michael Shannon), the Wheelers’ neighbors. Like Winslet, he is deserving of the recognition, but the role is a truth telling device that is clumsily inserted to make the drama “important.” He – the one whose head is not right – is the only one who is right. It’s an unclever spin on holding a mirror up to society. If Director Sam Mendes’ aim was to portray the emptiness and numbness of a settled-for life by making his audience feel empty and numb after watching his film, I would say he succeeded. I want to feel empathy for the characters, I want to follow their journey, and I want to leave the theatre with a change of perspective, but I didn’t feel anything; even during the final - meant to be haunting – shot. For a film all about blood (the emotive kind), this was a surprisingly sterile exercise. Nods are reserved for production: the sets, the clothing, the makeup, hair, props, everything was perfect, well done and uber-professional. I enjoyed the actors, the lighting, and the music. It was a perfect film. Except that perfect was not its point, and perfect is pointless to watch. This film is trying too hard to be relevant. Rather than watching a story unfold and taking from it what one may, the director is trying to push a moral tale down the throats of the audience. The scene where April begs Frank to move to Paris screams, “This is important!” The fight scenes are just screaming. The saving grace for this film is the lead actors, making what they can of pretense, and doing a bang up job with average material. Rated: R Running time: 1 hour, 59 minutes Directed by: Sam Mendes Written by: Justin Haythe; based on the novel by Richard Yates Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon |