Movie Review: "Revolutionary Road" (2008)

Warning: The following content might contain spoilers!

How do you break free without breaking apart?

Rated R for language and some sexual
content/nudity.

   Being the Leo and Kate devotee like I am (though I must admit, I wish I could watch a lot more of Kate's movies; too bad I'm too young for that still!), I finally watched Revolutionary Road. If you look at my previous post, "Then and Now: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet," I mentioned that I have not seen it. Well, that has changed! Now, like I always (or, more accuartely, mostly) do... 

   A MOVIE REVIEW! 

   Of course I'll start off with a "brief" summary that might just possibly turn into a full-blown spoiler alerts page. But for those of you completely bored out of your minds or totally uninterested in this movie, I guess that is a good thing. (Or maybe you're like me, who always reads the last page of a book/reads a full synopsis of a movie online. Seriously. I'm not kidding.) 

   Revolutionary Road is, in short, a marriage-disaster film. Frank and April Wheeler portray the idealistic, impeccable couple of suburban Connecticut in the 1950s. Though they may look so flawless on the outside, their personal lives are anything but pleasant. 

The perfect couple...right?

   The movie even starts with Frank and April bickering the drive home after a play, a very intense and melancholic scene that shows April dropping her dream of becoming an actress. And even more so, the strain of their relationship is increased when Frank has an affair with his secretary. Disturbingly enough (for me), the married neighbor, Shep, is secretly in love with April. You can see where this is going already--and let me just tell you the path is not pretty.

   There are moments of passionate attachment between April and Frank, but most of the time the only words coming out of their mouths (more specifically, April's) are "I hate you"--indirectly, of course. Though the movie holds a rated-R rating, I personally feel like it was more PG-13 for older teenagers. The only bad thing was the language, and possibly the fights if you are bothered with married couples talking--or should I say yelling?--meanly towards each other. 

Not every woman with blonde hair
is gold, Leo.

   SPOILER ALERT! Oh, wait. I forgot to mention April's clandestine want for an abortion. Let me point out that there was a moment of happiness when the Wheelers decided to pack up and move to Paris, but before they could do so, April ends up pregnant with their third child. Living with the idea that you have to settle down permanently after having kids was how life rolled in those days. No matter how much April and Frank wanted to break away from that unpublished rule, in the end Frank took the job promotion he was offered before, and they ended up canceling the trip.

   Overall, Revolutionary Road was better than I thought it would be. Though it was a little hard to get through, and the ending disturbed me a little bit, I was surprised neither Leo or Kate were nominated for Best Actor/Actress at the Academy Awards. They were absolutely remarkable, and I'm not just saying that because I love their iconic characters Jack and Rose! The movie was even directed by Kate's now-ex-husband, Sam Mendes. (Does anyone else find that weird? If I was a director and the casting person hired some woman to act with my husband, and they happened to be in a very lovey-dovey movie before, I'd be like "Heck no! Get off my set!" But all is fair in films and business, I guess.) A very thought-provoking, adult-like movie that dealt with a different perspective on young relationships. 

My Recommendation: **** 4/5 Stars for Revolutionary Road (2008) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet. IMDb rating: 7.4/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/

Watch the Trailer!