Revolutionary Road [Blu-ray]

 

 

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Revolutionary Road....My 30 something daughter recommended this to me as a must see. I was a bit reluctant at first with the cliche reuniting of Leo and Kate, so about 8 months later I watched it.

It is about the angst of relationships, centering on the wobbly marriage of a couple who bought the "everything will be perfect, if we just find our picture-perfect house" etc... Well, years and two children later, boy and girl, things just don't appear to be settling into the halcyon days promised. By every 50's standard, they had it all.

What Revolutionary Road poses is basically who are the "they" who write these rules in life, who promise paradise and deliver reality? When, where and what date did people let the "norm" become the only reality acceptable? When did he and she lose track of the ideas, dreams, hopes that get us through each redundant, mind-numbing day? Is the pioneer/adventurous spirit totally annihilated in this day and age? Have we,ourselves, been packaged, advertised and sold as a product that just fills in the spaces for society?

This is an adult movie by fact that the issues it deals with are grownup problems. Having grown up in the fifties, I remember when if you knew someone who was divorced, well there just had to be adultery there (heard of 2 divorces in my entire childhood!). Why? .....people stayed together, regardless! That is just the way it was. Many of us have lived through a lot of what this couple faces...the fights, the frustrations on both sides, having the 'perfect house" and still leaving one day when we could no longer say "I love you" and mean it!

Leo and Kate give superb performances as the troubled couple. They play the pathos with honesty and care. She is crying while doing the dishes. He is breaking things in anger and frustration. Friends and family are oblivious to the agony they feel inside. She needs to go outside just to breathe. He won't let things go until he "fixes" the situation. Kathy Bates also delivers a bravura performance as the local real estate agent. Her character's "crazy" son embodies the Devil's advocate. In the end, we wonder....who is the crazier in this situation?

Well worth the viewing all the way to the end, Revolutionary Road lets us stop and look, stand back and view ourselves, our lives from the outside. For those thinking of marriage, for those 30 somethings who will relate, for people like me who have been there, done that and now market the T-shirt, this movie evokes those deeper emotions we stow away til a convenient time. It makes us pause and remember, any day, any time, I can retake my life. I AM the captain of my own ship...IF I take ownership of it!

My last thoughts as this movie ended, I sent to my daughter with thanks for the recommendation : )

"Every day we rewrite our lives, taking the fragments and rearranging them to suit the needs of the moment. Sometimes, the decisions we make, based on those fabricated collages of our existence, take us down a road from which we can never return. Some things are irreversible. Be careful how you chose. The mind tricks us into believing we are on the right path, because it is easier to believe the lie than face the truth, sometimes."

...quick thought...revolutionary as in fighting against the status quo...or revolutionary as in you revolved and ended up right where you started from???????????...may be both????

Time to get off the roundabout!

Great movie...watch it! OR, like my daughter buy it! : )

"Revolutionary Road" is brought to life by the extraordinary performances of Leonardo Di Capria (Frank Wheeler) and Kate Winslet (April Wheeler). The movie portrays a young couple who are stuck in a rut and decide at one point to make a major change in their lives and move from Connecticut to Paris. This sounds all well and good, but then various new options and obstacles begin to mount. He's offered a better paying job, and she gets pregnant, and so instead of being able to make a break for a new life the prison of their lives begins to get tighter. It is apparent early on that April is unhappy with her life. On the other hand Frank seems resigned to his vacuous life. April is frustrated with their lives and grows resentful of Frank's complacency. There is a chilling scene, the morning after their big argument, when Frank comes to breakfast. April acts like one of the Stepford wifes, behaving with utmost perfection, like a dutiful wife, as if nothing ever happened the night before. Frank seems bewildered, but relieved, and doesn't seem to think too much about what his wife's chilling transformation could mean.

Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition, American Beauty) beautifully directs this movie, which initially seems trapped in the inertia of its all too idealized depiction of 1950's America, but then Mendes takes us down this disturbing path where everything that is too perfect, sterile and bland is revealed as a kind of prison for this couple, and this facilitates in highlighting the underlining tension between Frank and April. This is a monumental movie that takes its time in order to weave it web.

Revolutionary Road stars Kate Winslet and Leo Dicaprio about a 30-ish couple who become bored with their lives. They decide to spice it up by moving to Paris and bringing their two young ones with them, but that plan proves to be easier said than done.

One thing for sure is that the leads deliver fantastic performances in this film. The concept of feeling bored with your life is something many can relate to and might strike a chord with many viewers. Be warned: This movie is very depressing, downbeat and even creepy at times. But still worth a watch and proves to be a satisfying viewing experience.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Caution: boring
I purchased this on Blu-ray based on a friend's recommendation and regret taking the advice blind.

Alright, so there was an interesting scene that involved a mentally... Read more

Published on Mar 14 2010 by Mileage May Vary

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent acting, good photography, depressing movie
Although set in 1955 this movie is timeless; should we take the easy, conventional route through life, or take a huge risk with the hopes of making something extraordinary of our... Read more

Published on Jun 28 2009 by Eric Lawton

4.0 out of 5 stars When enough is not enough
It's 1955, and Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) are a successful, young suburban couple. Read more

Published on Jun 5 2009 by Kona

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best movie of 2008
I predict that this movie will have a long life in the annals of cinema! Great script, top-notch acting, sublime cinematography combines to offer a truly memorable experience... Read more

Published on Jun 5 2009 by A. CHIASSON

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