Revolutionary Road- The Movie
Written: Jul 20 '09 (Updated Jul 20 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great cast, great performances by Bates, Winslet and Kathryn Hahn
Cons: Some may find this slow, boring, too long
The Bottom Line: Revolutionary Road does Richard Yates' book justice.
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| lyoness913's Full Review: Revolutionary Road |
After reading Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road, I was curious to watch the movie and see how it adapted from the book to the film. I was excited to watch the film because I really enjoy Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates. I must say I was not disappointed by either. I don't think that Leonardo DiCaprio has done anything worthy of an award or anything worthy of being called a 'good performance' since his role as Arnie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? I felt DiCaprio was flat and almost juvenile in his role as Frank Wheeler, and I think that many actors could have portrayed the role with much more passion.
Revolutionary Road begins with Frank Wheeler (DiCaprio) watching his wife April (Winslet) bomb as the lead in a local theatre production. The couple are set to go out for a few cocktails after the play with their best friends Shep and Milly Campbell. (David Harbour and Kathryn Hahn, respectively.) April is very disappointed in herself and she basically throws a fit and tells Frank to cancel their evening engagement with the Campbells.
We meet Mrs. Helen Givings (Kathy Bates) who sold the Wheeler's their wonderful home in suburbia Connecticut. We find out about their lifestyle. Frank takes the train into New York every day to work at an office job, just like every other boring man in a suit and tie. April takes care of their two children and their home. The year is 1955 and the two have settled into 'Yuppie Kingdom,' and they have completely lost their spark for adventure. They have become what they never wanted to be be. Frank hates his boring job and April hates conforming to the ideal life in which she simply gives in to societal norms and pressures.
One day, after a rough patch, Frank comes home to a candlelit dinner and a very apologetic, enthusiastic April. She informs Frank that she thinks they should pack what they can and, after about six months of savings, move to Europe. She says that she will work while Frank does whatever it is that he wants to do. She has the whole plan worked out for the family. Frank thinks this is silly at first, but the more they talk about it the more Frank falls in love with the idea. Of course their friends think that the Wheelers are foolish and irresponsible, but Frank and April are set to make it work. And then, for various reasons, their plans fall by the wayside and the couple slip into their mundane and depressing existence once again.
Revolutionary Road follows the book quite specifically. I thought that the roles of April, Mrs. Givings, and Milly were cast perfectly. Kathy Bates is such a talented actress and she made Mrs. Givings spring alive from the pages of Yates' novel. Winslet is simply phenomenal, and her Golden Globe award for her role as April was well deserved. However, DiCaprio annoys me. He always acts as himself, and his own personality overshadows the character he portrays. I will say that he deserved the Oscar for Arnie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, but since then all of his roles seem like he plays an immature, twenty something sort of goofball (Except for maybe Blood Diamond, where he had an atrocious accent). Matching Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio again to try and recapture their chemistry from Titanic is useless, because I feel they had absolutely no chemistry in Titanic at all!
The message of this film rings loud and clear and makes the audience think. Although it seems slow paced in some areas and it's a bit long, I lost myself in the truth, which is of course, we often become what we dread. The daughter becomes her mother, the son becomes his father, and the euphoria of new love wears off and conforms to patterns. We all become lost in the patterns of life. And Revolutionary Road gives us hope in posing the question: Do we really have to?
I wouldn't recommend this movie for children due to adult content, a few sex scenes and bad language. The ending of this film is very upsetting as well. I would recommend this movie to all adults who question what is and isn't supposed to be 'normal.' If you liked the book, you'll love the movie.
4 stars
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Serious Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Pacing
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lyoness913
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