Revolutionary Road
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate WinsletStudio: Paramount
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release: June 2nd 2009
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DVD Review
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 06/02/2009 Run time: 118 minutes Rating: R
User Reviews
Great movie. Leo + Kate = Great combination - Rating: 5/5
The hype of reconnecting Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet 12 yrs after Titanic and now has mature actors (arguably two of the best in the world) lived up to the billing. Both could/should have received Oscar nominations and Kate Winslett won her Oscar for Revolutionary Road as much as The Reader.
This is not the easiest film to sit through. It takes patience, a more mature viewer, smarter viewer but it's a rewarding film. A dark, heavy drama with excellent performances and very memorable.
Revolutionary Road DVD - Rating: 5/5
I bought this movie for my wife and she really enjoyed the movie as we did not get a chance to go to the theater. Some day I'll watch it too. She loves the actors that were in the movie and the story line too.
The tragedy that is Revolutionary Road - Rating: 4/5
Simply put, Revolutionary Road is a hard film to watch.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet turn in fantastic performances as April and Frank Wheeler, the "perfect" couple on the block. They have it all: the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect 1950's lives. At least, that's how it appears to outsiders.
April, we see in the very beginning of the film, is trying to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. The play she stars in, however, ends up a failure. We see the first of many huge fights that she and Frank will have. April eventually succumbs to the role of Frank's housewife, spending her days in beautiful clothes while she keeps house and watches over their children, who are rarely around.
Frank realizes on his birthday that he is miserable in his current job. He has ended up in the one position he never wanted to be in--just like his father. He notices a pretty new girl at the office and takes her out to lunch with bad intent, which is fulfilled later on that day. While this is going on, April was going through some old photographs and happened upon a snapshot of a younger Frank in Paris, France and remembered a talk they had when Frank mentioned how happy he was then.
Frank comes home that night, wearing his guilt all over his face when April meets him at the door, dressed nicely and acting warm. He follows her into the kitchen where she and the kids have a birthday cake waiting for him and he makes no effort to hide the pain in his face. April approaches him later that night with her new plan: they can move to Paris and start all over again. She offers to look for a job and Frank can stay home and decide what he truly wants to do. It's perfect!
Except, it's not perfect. After a short period of bliss, April ends up pregnant and Frank is offered a high-paying promotion to stay at his job. This wouldn't be so hard to work around if April wasn't slowly realizing that she can't stand Frank anymore. This is evident when she admits that she never wanted his children in the first place and when he confesses his affair to her, she doesn't care in the least.
Ironically, the only person who saw through their facade the entire time was mathematician John Givings, (Michael Shannon), the son of the Wheelers' realtor, Helen Givings, (Kathy Bates), who they agreed to spend some time with since John has been recently released from a mental hospital and didn't really have any friends. John cuts right to the core of their problems and lays it all out on the table for them, almost resulting in Frank decking him in front of everyone.
April becomes more and more depressed and miserable as the movie goes on. She is trapped with this man that she can no longer tolerate, she is stuck in this house in Connecticut and she is pregnant with another child she does not want. The audience can predict what is going to happen as the film progresses but it does not make the ending any easier to watch. There is no emotional let-up in this film. It grabs you by the collar and forces your eyes open, making you take it all in.
All in all, this was a very powerful film and an excellent drama. You can definitely see how DiCaprio has finely honed his craft over the years. He looks older but not burned out, only more experienced. The excited child in him is gone and has been replaced by a mature man. The expressions on his face are truly heartbreaking and a sign of incredible acting prowess. You truly believe that he really does love April and can't understand why it's not reciprocated.
Winslet is incredible as well. You can relate to the position she is in and you can even understand how she resolves her dilemma. She is a strong woman who is gradually beaten down into a weaker and weaker woman by the environment around her. What do you do when there's nothing you can do? She helps us understand exactly where she's coming from.
Dysfunctional suburban couple gone mad - Rating: 3/5
"Revolutionary Road" is a serious downer, with one of the most depressing criticisms of suburbia ever seen in a film.
However, we cannot blame Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. They do a fantastic job as Frank and April Wheeler, raising the drama to the extreme. One will definitely wonder how on Earth the couple in the film stuck together for so many years.
They play a couple living in Connecticut in a suburban home in the 1950s. Frank works at a mind-numbing cubicle, while April cares for the kids at home. From the start, Frank clearly hates his job and the suburbs.
But when Frank comes home, April gives him the wonderful idea to move his family to Paris. His neighbors and his co-workers are not as thrilled, however. They find every opportunity to convince him to stay at their home on Revolutionary Road.
At first glance, this appears to be a realistic version of "The Truman Show," minus all the high security gizmos. But "Revolutionary Road" takes a turn to the dark side as their family matters grow from bad, to worse, to almost unbearable.
It's not as if the characters are completely off-the-hook and emotional. Kate Winslet plays her part masterfully as a mother who loathes Frank's overdependency on her. And DiCaprio is just as magnificent as an strict, two-timing husband lacking some moral values.
No, it's just that the subject matter is too excessively dark. Whereas "American Beauty" has eloquent, poetic dialogue, "Revolutionary Road" plays out like an evil suburban soap opera. The high-strung tension in the film gets overwhelming near the end. In spite of the stylish direction by Sam Mendes, the gritty script will make people wonder how the hell this couple could ever get along in real life.
"Revolutionary Road" is still a great film, with classy 50s tunes and snappy outfits. But it might be a tad too dark, even for DiCaprio fans.
If you love Kate Winslet-this movie is for you. - Rating: 5/5
If you enjoy watching Kate Winslet perform you will absolutely want to buy this movie. Her performance got her a Golden Globe award and she deserves it.
The film is a must see and you want to watch it over and over again.
Diane Fields
