Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
01-10-09, 07:50 PM
#51
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
"Revolutionary Road" is basically a tale of existential angst and restlessness set in the mid-1950's suburbia as seen through the relationship between Frank and April Wheeler. April is initially shown to be the one with aspirations of being a great actress, but her talent betrays her ambitions, while Frank is simply floating through life from job to job, but such appearances of freedom appeals to April, and their chemistry results in marriage, 2 kids, and a house in the 'burbs (on Revolutionary Road, to be exact) where April finds the life unrewarding and stale as her acting ambitions have been squelched and she finds herself with a mundane life as a homemaker for their 2 children as Frank works in the city in a job that he also finds no joy or greater purpose through such employment.
Being a fan of AMC's "Mad Men", there are quite a lot of similarities explored on that show and this film, though "Mad Men" is buoyed by mild soap opera-ish storytelling in spots, but predominantly smart enough to find relevance for today by looking at yesteryear's dramatic events. "Revolutionary Road" uses the unease, the unrest felt by both Frank and April in their current lives to explore the question of "is this all there is" in living the great American life as they enter their 30's in age, it's a life filled with monotone and routine. April truly wants to live a much more exciting life, and Frank is initially onboard with such yearnings as well, and April's plan becomes their family roadmap until events make the plan infeasible, and Frank's worklife takes unexpected fortuitous turns, making him less amenable to April's plan, but he goes through the motions, almost dreading telling April of his reluctance because he is also stuck inside a box of sorts, and is all the more conflicted, bringing hurtful confrontations in scant months after their decision to give April's plan a go of it.
As the story plays out, rooting the film in the mid-1950s is what gives the poignancy and believability of the choices that characters make as it comes to its conclusion, as that time period imposed quite a few societal shackles on people in general that simply aren't as compelling had the story taken place just 10 years later, as the 1950's provided both a feeling of a promising future, while keeping the role of wives subordinate to their husband's station in life, with few avenues for advancement and control of their own destiny.
That being said, both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio deliver fine performances, and Michael Shannon (as John, the lunatic son of the lady who found the Wheeler's their house on Revolutionary Road, and ray of truth in few scenes that brings a mirror of their lives on the Wheelers) almost steals the show at times. Sam Mendes delivers more hits than misses in this directorial effort, but I'm not sure he should direct his wife in future films, just because I felt that Winslet's performance might have been even better in the hands of another talented director, but she still gives a nuanced and incisive performance in support of the screenplay. DiCaprio might have outshined Winslet, but that's a function of the screenplay and the nature of the story being told.
I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.
Being a fan of AMC's "Mad Men", there are quite a lot of similarities explored on that show and this film, though "Mad Men" is buoyed by mild soap opera-ish storytelling in spots, but predominantly smart enough to find relevance for today by looking at yesteryear's dramatic events. "Revolutionary Road" uses the unease, the unrest felt by both Frank and April in their current lives to explore the question of "is this all there is" in living the great American life as they enter their 30's in age, it's a life filled with monotone and routine. April truly wants to live a much more exciting life, and Frank is initially onboard with such yearnings as well, and April's plan becomes their family roadmap until events make the plan infeasible, and Frank's worklife takes unexpected fortuitous turns, making him less amenable to April's plan, but he goes through the motions, almost dreading telling April of his reluctance because he is also stuck inside a box of sorts, and is all the more conflicted, bringing hurtful confrontations in scant months after their decision to give April's plan a go of it.
As the story plays out, rooting the film in the mid-1950s is what gives the poignancy and believability of the choices that characters make as it comes to its conclusion, as that time period imposed quite a few societal shackles on people in general that simply aren't as compelling had the story taken place just 10 years later, as the 1950's provided both a feeling of a promising future, while keeping the role of wives subordinate to their husband's station in life, with few avenues for advancement and control of their own destiny.
That being said, both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio deliver fine performances, and Michael Shannon (as John, the lunatic son of the lady who found the Wheeler's their house on Revolutionary Road, and ray of truth in few scenes that brings a mirror of their lives on the Wheelers) almost steals the show at times. Sam Mendes delivers more hits than misses in this directorial effort, but I'm not sure he should direct his wife in future films, just because I felt that Winslet's performance might have been even better in the hands of another talented director, but she still gives a nuanced and incisive performance in support of the screenplay. DiCaprio might have outshined Winslet, but that's a function of the screenplay and the nature of the story being told.
I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.
01-14-09, 11:21 AM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Saw this movie for the second time last night, still one of my favorites of the year.
http://thefilmstage.com/2009/01/14/i...utionary-road/
I feel like I have been defending Leo DiCaprio all year. But I also feel like he deserves it. Having finally seen Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road, I feel almost unable to properly criticize it. Adapted from Richard Yates’ timeless, and extremely dense, 1961 novel, this film is fairly faithful to its source, primarily a satirical cautionary tale that ends in tragedy.
And while it is far from flawless, Revolutionary Road is interesting. Now, I know that reads like a dubious compliment, but I mean it, I truly do. This is an extremely thought-provoking piece of art that made me want to run out and find an excuse to stay with my friends so we could talk about it some more. Answers the “what” questions and breach the “why” questions.
And let me not forget that the performances are across-the-board incredible. In his review of the film in The New Yorker, David Denby wrote of DiCaprio’s performance as Frank Wheeler: “Frank is a liar, an adulterer, and a compromiser who betrays himself as much as his wife, but DiCaprio projects a natural heroic sweetness—it’s in his movie-star genes—which, in this case, is at odds with the character he’s playing.”
This is certainly true, but replace the negative critical tone with a positive one. Frank Wheeler, in both the book and the film, is a fickle man, swayed by other men and other men’s dreams, too scared to be confident in his own. In that inability there is an inherent tragic heroic-ness, and DiCaprio embodies it to perfection. However, Kate Winslet steals the show without a doubt. As April Wheeler, the veteran actress breathes an amount of life into her character not present in the book. While DiCaprio had much more material to work with the Frank character, it appears that Winslet decided simply to create her own form of the 50s housewife.
While the cinematography is faultless and the score (by the great Thomas Newman) is simple and effective, the direction can best be summed up in one word: professional. Mendes is something of a “method director.” It appears as though he falls in love with the story he’s telling and then goes out of his way to execute said story to perfection, leaving no room for error and, in turn, no room for spontaneity. And while this may have hurt a film like Jarhead, which examines the psychological breakdown of a soldier during peace in wartime, it helps this film, which is fueled on the absence of spontaneity.
Professionalism and all, this is still somewhat of a ridiculous film, and certainly heavy-handed throughout. Scenes screen as if Leo and Kate are on Broadway, or even back on the Titanic, the performing is so thick. Some members of the audience laugh out loud during scenes of anger and insults, quickly silenced as the fight rages on, sometimes for several minutes. But then, much like the widely-ignored Australia, this is a kind of extroverted acting not popular in today’s media. We tend to want our heroes brooding, tortured, tall, dark, and always handsome. The less they say the better. Too bad for DiCaprio, Frank Wheeler never shuts up. But then, how many people do you know like that?
Whether you appreciated the performance acting or not, this is a harsh look at the American Trap, a.k.a. “settling down.” Mendes (and one wonders if Yates knew when he wrote it) knows this trap is timeless, and knows the prevalence of it today. Sure, this is a suburbs mellodrama, but it is not ABOUT the suburbs. In their 1/13/09 review of the film on the /Filmcast, the guys over at slashfilm.com were quick to point out the far-fetchedness of the story and the resolution, deeming it a suburban worst-case scenario of sorts. And that it is. But is that not part of what a satire’s purpose is? Granted, this is certainly not a traditional satire and, in many ways, not one at all. However, as a whole the film mocks the American Trap and warns against it, much in the same way Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead did, following along the basic rules of satire and adding a poignant dose of reality. It asks the question: What if you abide by all of society’s rules? Even if you know they’re wrong?
Young people should see this film right now. It will haunt you out of your seats and force you consider yourself next to the characters on-screen, and I imagine you’ll find yourself praying that you are most comparable to the only “crazy” character in the whole film, John, played convincingly by the criminally underrated Michael Shannon.
Kate Winslet’s April asks the first question: “Who made these rules?”
Mendes leaves it up to the viewer to ask, and answer, the second: “Why follow them?”
http://thefilmstage.com/2009/01/14/i...utionary-road/
I feel like I have been defending Leo DiCaprio all year. But I also feel like he deserves it. Having finally seen Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road, I feel almost unable to properly criticize it. Adapted from Richard Yates’ timeless, and extremely dense, 1961 novel, this film is fairly faithful to its source, primarily a satirical cautionary tale that ends in tragedy.
And while it is far from flawless, Revolutionary Road is interesting. Now, I know that reads like a dubious compliment, but I mean it, I truly do. This is an extremely thought-provoking piece of art that made me want to run out and find an excuse to stay with my friends so we could talk about it some more. Answers the “what” questions and breach the “why” questions.
And let me not forget that the performances are across-the-board incredible. In his review of the film in The New Yorker, David Denby wrote of DiCaprio’s performance as Frank Wheeler: “Frank is a liar, an adulterer, and a compromiser who betrays himself as much as his wife, but DiCaprio projects a natural heroic sweetness—it’s in his movie-star genes—which, in this case, is at odds with the character he’s playing.”
This is certainly true, but replace the negative critical tone with a positive one. Frank Wheeler, in both the book and the film, is a fickle man, swayed by other men and other men’s dreams, too scared to be confident in his own. In that inability there is an inherent tragic heroic-ness, and DiCaprio embodies it to perfection. However, Kate Winslet steals the show without a doubt. As April Wheeler, the veteran actress breathes an amount of life into her character not present in the book. While DiCaprio had much more material to work with the Frank character, it appears that Winslet decided simply to create her own form of the 50s housewife.
While the cinematography is faultless and the score (by the great Thomas Newman) is simple and effective, the direction can best be summed up in one word: professional. Mendes is something of a “method director.” It appears as though he falls in love with the story he’s telling and then goes out of his way to execute said story to perfection, leaving no room for error and, in turn, no room for spontaneity. And while this may have hurt a film like Jarhead, which examines the psychological breakdown of a soldier during peace in wartime, it helps this film, which is fueled on the absence of spontaneity.
Professionalism and all, this is still somewhat of a ridiculous film, and certainly heavy-handed throughout. Scenes screen as if Leo and Kate are on Broadway, or even back on the Titanic, the performing is so thick. Some members of the audience laugh out loud during scenes of anger and insults, quickly silenced as the fight rages on, sometimes for several minutes. But then, much like the widely-ignored Australia, this is a kind of extroverted acting not popular in today’s media. We tend to want our heroes brooding, tortured, tall, dark, and always handsome. The less they say the better. Too bad for DiCaprio, Frank Wheeler never shuts up. But then, how many people do you know like that?
Whether you appreciated the performance acting or not, this is a harsh look at the American Trap, a.k.a. “settling down.” Mendes (and one wonders if Yates knew when he wrote it) knows this trap is timeless, and knows the prevalence of it today. Sure, this is a suburbs mellodrama, but it is not ABOUT the suburbs. In their 1/13/09 review of the film on the /Filmcast, the guys over at slashfilm.com were quick to point out the far-fetchedness of the story and the resolution, deeming it a suburban worst-case scenario of sorts. And that it is. But is that not part of what a satire’s purpose is? Granted, this is certainly not a traditional satire and, in many ways, not one at all. However, as a whole the film mocks the American Trap and warns against it, much in the same way Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead did, following along the basic rules of satire and adding a poignant dose of reality. It asks the question: What if you abide by all of society’s rules? Even if you know they’re wrong?
Young people should see this film right now. It will haunt you out of your seats and force you consider yourself next to the characters on-screen, and I imagine you’ll find yourself praying that you are most comparable to the only “crazy” character in the whole film, John, played convincingly by the criminally underrated Michael Shannon.
Kate Winslet’s April asks the first question: “Who made these rules?”
Mendes leaves it up to the viewer to ask, and answer, the second: “Why follow them?”
01-14-09, 09:12 PM
#55
Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
That's a great write up, JPRaup. Pretty much echoed my sentiments. DiCaprio and Winslet brought authenticity to the production, that in the hands of lesser actors could've become pretty comical.
Rypro 525, which fight are you talking about? The first one before the credits?
Rypro 525, which fight are you talking about? The first one before the credits?
01-15-09, 03:31 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I want to see this movie. Although Kate isn't one of my favorites, I did love the duo in Titanic. I have full faith in Leo's talent. He picks such a wide variety of films to star in and he was amazing in Blood Diamond and The Departed. It will be weird to see the same duo in a completely different story, but I am sure it is going to be amazing!
01-15-09, 08:31 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I want to see this movie. Although Kate isn't one of my favorites, I did love the duo in Titanic. I have full faith in Leo's talent. He picks such a wide variety of films to star in and he was amazing in Blood Diamond and The Departed. It will be weird to see the same duo in a completely different story, but I am sure it is going to be amazing!
01-18-09, 08:41 PM
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01-22-09, 05:49 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Wife and I saw this the other day. I thought it was one of the better movies I've seen in some time. The acting performances were off the charts. Definitely not a movie for kids - or maybe not even through early 20s or so. But if you've ever been married - particularly for some time - you'll definitely relate to at least some of what's going on in the movie.
01-22-09, 05:53 PM
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01-24-09, 06:45 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I enjoyed the movie a lot more than Benjamin Button. Sorry to see this was ignored by the Academy. Probably too close to home for them.
01-25-09, 12:30 AM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Despite all the fighting, I really enjoyed this film. It really makes you think about life and relationships. Kate Winslet did an amazing job and her role should have been nominated for Best Actress. Boo to the Academy!
01-26-09, 06:47 AM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Saw this last night. Wow. Definitely my favorite film of 2008 (although I still haven't seen The Wrestler or The Reader).
Fanboys are pissed that The Dark Knight didn't get noms, but it didn't really deserve any outside of Ledger.
Revolutionary Road was robbed by the Academy. Best picture and lead actress should have been automatics, and Leo probably deserved a nod as well. I owe him an apology. The other day I was discussing actors with a friend and mentioned that he was ok, but would never win an Oscar. I now think he just may someday.
Fanboys are pissed that The Dark Knight didn't get noms, but it didn't really deserve any outside of Ledger.
Revolutionary Road was robbed by the Academy. Best picture and lead actress should have been automatics, and Leo probably deserved a nod as well. I owe him an apology. The other day I was discussing actors with a friend and mentioned that he was ok, but would never win an Oscar. I now think he just may someday.
01-26-09, 02:06 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Was the wife so unhappy that she thought that what she did at the end was the only way out? Was she just out of touch? Mental problems?
I didnt really understand her motivation.
I didnt really understand her motivation.
01-26-09, 03:00 PM
#67
Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Spoiler:
This really is a great movie. And it was robbed by the Academy. Leo was snubbed. Kate was snubbed. Sam was snubbed.
01-26-09, 05:21 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I thought this was a really great movie as well.
I haven't seen "The Reader" yet so I'm not sure if Kate deserves the nomination for this more.
I didn't think Michael Shannon's performance was worth a nomination. He was one of the different characters to me, but if I were to hand out an Oscar nod, I'd give it to the neighbor guy.
I haven't seen "The Reader" yet so I'm not sure if Kate deserves the nomination for this more.
I didn't think Michael Shannon's performance was worth a nomination. He was one of the different characters to me, but if I were to hand out an Oscar nod, I'd give it to the neighbor guy.
02-02-09, 12:05 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I guess I'm in the minority here...I liked the movie don't get me wrong, BUT, it was far from being great. Main problem is that it was too dry, like this could have easily been a play but made by a great director. It also seemed like a much weaker American Beauty (one of my favorite movies). Aside from Leo and Kate, none of the characters were interesting (except the loony). There is also no re-wacthability here, I have no interest in ever watching this again.
Leo and Kate are both very good, but I would rank this as Mendes's worst film.
Leo and Kate are both very good, but I would rank this as Mendes's worst film.
02-02-09, 12:25 PM
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02-21-09, 11:51 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Sorry to bump this, but I just saw it last night. I agree with most that it was a very good movie, but far from great.
As for Rypro's question, I'm almost certain it was the next day. Frank comes down the stairs looking like he's battling a hangover, which would suggest it's the day after.
As for Rypro's question, I'm almost certain it was the next day. Frank comes down the stairs looking like he's battling a hangover, which would suggest it's the day after.
02-22-09, 11:35 AM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I was really hoping for a much more crazy ending. I would have loved it if the (and was led to believe for some reason this was what was gonna happen before I saw the movie) Michael Shannon character went even more batshit and killed both Leo and Kate. That would have been a great ending.
06-06-09, 05:05 PM
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Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I finally saw this today on DVD. It was "okay". A bit drawn out here and there. I liked The Reader a WHOLE lot better.
After watching the deleted scenes, does anyone know what the note said in the "Dear Frank" chapter?
After watching the deleted scenes, does anyone know what the note said in the "Dear Frank" chapter?
06-06-09, 07:04 PM
#75
Re: Revolutionary Road (Mendes, 2008): Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
I thought this was outstanding and ranks only behind "Doubt" as my favorite of 2008. Superb performances from Leo, Winslet, and Shannon. After finally seeing this and the snoozefest that is "The Reader", I am in shock she didn't win for this film instead. This film deserved much more than the 3 Oscar nominations it received.