Revolutionary Road - A Review

Directed by Sam Mendes

Written by Justin Haythe

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet

119 minutes

Rated R

2008

It seems when Sam Mendes is working with the proper material, he will spit out a gut-wrenching masterpiece void of a typical Hollywood ending with periodic moments of unrivaled beauty.

The material, in this case, was perfect.

Mendes gave us American Beauty and Road to Perdition. The former is one of the more celebrated films of the past 10 years (actually, 10 years separate Beauty and Revolutionary Road) and the latter is, in my mind, superior and greatly underrated by the masses.

The tales woven in these three (Beauty, Perdition, and Revolutionary) all deal with atrocities in a beautiful home on a quiet street. Road is the most tragic, mainly because of its unapologetic emotions. Beauty was verbally frank, Perdition was violent, and Revolutionary is a relentless showcase of guttural emotionality.

DiCaprio and Winslet play Frank and April. They met at a party. They were sexually attracted to each other. Frank could spin any conversation in his favor, and April was a dreamer. They were in love. Married. Kids.

The main body of the story concentrates on their daily battles to avoid how they really feel about each other - which, by no stretch of the imagination, fits the classical definition of "love." This is not to be confused with their willingness to share their feelings about any particular moment in time, displaying just how frustrated they were with whatever the current predicament or fight happened to be.

The script was adapted from a novel by Richard Yates, but it feels like a play. There's really only one main set piece (the house on Revolutionary Road), and that's where all the fireworks happen (both the good and bad kind).

If you'll indulge me, this is a good way to sum up my feelings on the film: if this is a play, Winslet and DiCaprio own the stage.

These two play off each other as good as just about any male/female combo I can think of. You can't help but think about the history these two have together off screen - and, believe it or not - I think that assists in making this such a tragic tale. DiCaprio and Winslet, in the aftermath of Titanic, had to deal with a level of fame that very few are privileged with. It's a wonder they were both able to become the leading actors of their generation. The odds couldn't have been in their favor. Extreme beauty gets you so far, so you gotta have the chops to pull off rolls like DiCaprio and Winslet have been the last decade.

DiCaprio's character is very outwardly emotional, and Winslet is cold and closes herself off from debate. This contrast leads to arguments that make these scenes so awkward for the viewer you can't help but start to sense the likelihood that they aren't going to have a Jerry Maguire moment at the end.

There are three gem supporting performances (in no particular order): Michael Shannon (received an Oscar nomination for his performance), Kathy Bates, and David Harbour. Shannon and Bates play son and mother to each other (John and Helen Givings). Helen is the realtor that sold sold Frank and April the house on Revolutionary Road. Harbour plays Shep, the husband of the couple that April and Frank and friends with. April and Frank and are hosting the Givings (mother, father, and son), and Shannon delivers one of the most devastating verbal blows I've ever seen onscreen during a particularly vicious argument at the dinner table. I can't tell you what it is - it'd be a spoiler.

Roger Deakins served as the cinematographer (or director of photography) on this film. This guy has been nominated for EIGHT Oscars with zero wins (he was nominated in 2008 - but not for this movie. It was for the other Kate Winslet mega movie, The Reader). His resume may be the most impressive this world has ever seen: No Country For Old Men, House of Sand and Fog, A Beautiful Mind, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fargo, The Shawshank Redemption - just to hit some highlights. Get this man as Oscar! The brightness he's able to give this movie is mesmerizing. The glow on DiCaprio and Winslet's eyes and faces in the heat an argument burns its memory into your mind. Those little features are made possible by guys like Deakins collaborating with great minds like Mendes - with great lead and supporting actors to fill in the rest.

But it all started with a novel.

One of the best films of 2008.

Scott.