The stars of Titanic reunite in film once again, though this movie is about as far away from their first outing as you can imagine. Where Titanic featured a doomed ocean liner, Revolutionary Road paints a picture of domestic bliss gone wrong from the 1961 novel by Richard Yates.
In 1955, Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) Wheeler live on Revolutionary Road. April has always wanted to be an actress and Frank wants to live an “interesting” life. The old saying goes that a curse is that you should live in “interesting” times; however Frank must not have heard of that.
Frank ends up living a less-than-interesting life as he has a monotonous job. April tries her hand at acting in the local community theater and the debut does not go well. Frank actually begins to get some praise at work and begins to feel appreciated. That’s when April decides to attempt some change in their lives as proposes that they move to Paris.
Just as Frank is coming around to the idea, April becomes pregnant. She decides that she wants an abortion, but the method she’s considering is questionable. The duo’s lives continue to go downhill and will end in tragedy for both.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starred in a little film you may have heard of called Titanic. Their next collaboration was longed for by fans of that film, but it was a long time coming. The other old saying might be “be careful what you ask for” as I’m pretty sure that fans of Titanic will not like Revolutionary Road.
The fantasy was that Leo and Kate’s love would be everlasting from their 1912 cruise. Revolutionary Road shows what happens when a married couple’s relationship starts to go down like the ship that struck and iceberg.
The film is not the romanticized study that Titanic offered but a jaundiced eye on a failing marriage. The film is based on the 1961 Yates’ novel and has been considered for the screen since around the same time. It’s been a long road but director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) finally followed the Road to the big screen.
It may be the “against type” of the nature of the film that appealed to both DiCaprio and Winslet (it probably didn’t hurt that Winslet is also married to Mendes). It’s an emotional film and likely the reason that the box office didn’t generate Titanic numbers. However, the acting is of the highest caliber and a superb character study, not that it’s much fun watching the two characters disintegrate.
Winslet was awarded a Golden Globe in the leading actress category for this film as well as one in supporting actress in The Reader. She won the best actress Academy Award for her performance in The Reader, but you imagine that Revolutionary Road was in the shadows in the mind of the Academy as well when voting occurred.
Michael Shannon was given the nod for best supporting actor at the Academy Awards for his fantastic turn as well. It’s like watching a car wreck seeing the Wheelers lives, you want to turn away but it’s the performances that keep us watching.
Revolutionary Road is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1). All special features are presented in high definition. They include a commentary with director Sam Mendes and writer Justin Haythe. The 29 minute “Lives of Quiet Desperation” of turning the novel into a film. Next are 25 minutes of deleted scenes with an optional commentary by the participants above. The 26 minute “The Wages of Truth” looks at author Richard Yates. Finally you get the 2 minute theatrical trailer.
Revolutionary Road is high drama and can be uncomfortable to watch, but it’s the excellent performances is what you’ll see. It’s hard to look into the sad hearts of the characters, but the actor’s perform them to the highest caliber.
If you’re expecting something along the line of Titanic you’ll get the tragedy but will lack the fantastical romance of the film. However, those looking for actors at the top of their game will come away saddened but satisfied that they found acting prowess.
Revolutionary Road [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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