Revolutionary Road

OPENING: 12/26/2008

STUDIO: Paramount Vantage

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
How do you break free without breaking apart?

Opening Statement
“Oh, Frank. Listen: I don’t care if it takes you five years of doing nothing at all; I don’t care if you decide after five years that what you really want is to be a bricklayer or a mechanic or a merchant seaman. Don’t you see what I’m saying? It’s got nothing to do with definite, measurable talents—it’s your very essence that’s being stifled here. It’s what you are that’s being denied and denied and denied in his kind of life. You’re the most valuable and wonderful thing in the world. You’re a man.”

Facts Of The Case
The year is 1955. The Wheelers live in an upscale Connecticut suburb. Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed) works for a N.Y.C.-based company which manufactures office machines. April (Kate Winslet, The Reader) stays at home cooking, cleaning, and dreaming. To the outside world, they seem like the ideal couple, perfectly content with two beautiful children. However, April doesn’t want to end up living a superficial, dull existence like her neighbors. And Frank doesn’t want to work at a job he hates, sleep with a willing secretary, and return to a unhappy household. As a panacea, April makes a proposition: moving to Paris so he can “find himself” while she works. Tempting? Yes. Realistic? Frank doesn’t think so.

Soon two dark clouds form and threaten to compromise April’s plan. First, Frank gets offered a huge promotion at work and second, April finds herself pregnant again. They begin to spend more time with their friendly neighbors and the local real estate lady (Kathy Bates, Titanic) and her family, including her institutionalized son (Michael Shannon, 8 Mile). Eventually, it becomes apparant that Frank and April will never have Paris, but will continue going through the same motions as they have before. Will the inevitable suffering and heated arguments eventually destroy them both?

The Evidence
I’m afraid the plot synopsis doesn’t do director Sam Mendes’ new film justice. Based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road is a two-hour bolt of emotional lightning which will leave the viewer shaken and drained. It took at least 24 hours for me shake the effect off, and it wasn’t easy. This is not a simple story of a sour marriage driven by misery, or a just a series of domestic donnybrooks. With Mendes at the helm, you might expect a continuation of themes he explored in American Beauty, his Oscar-winner from 1999. Not true. Aside from the familiar environment, these two films are as different as night and day; in fact, as dark as Beauty was, it now seems like the day part in comparison.

In order to get fully engaged in this story, it’s important to keep in mind it’s set in the 1950s. Yates must have known that the values of work, marriage, and American society as a whole was changing, as his novel recieved strong notice upon publication. Yet, it was also ahead of its time in terms of the shifting perspectives and attitudes of men and women, which may have led to it being somewhat forgotten shortly afterward. There’s no doubt Yates writes about domestic conformity and the American Dream gone awry (which must have appealed to Mendes considering his resume), however he also gave an early example of the Problem With No Name when it came to April’s character and her view of the world. Frank is the typical husband who loves his wife as a wife and not exactly as a woman (more often than not, he’s less than amatory); as a result, April feels like she is psychologically trapped, a notion Frank deems absurd.

Early in the film—which is near-perfect adaptation by Justin Haythe (The Clearing)—we see Frank and April meet at a party. He’s likes her because he makes her laugh. She likes him because he’s immensely interesting. Almost immediately, we jump forward to the mid-’50s, where April amateurishly attempts to do stage work. Frank is rather embarrassed, which leads to a verbal match inside and outside their car on the highway; at this point, we realize this is not their first altercation, although this time Frank manages to stop himself from punching her. This ten-minute sequence is actually the prologue, as it happens before the main title. In a novel, this sequence wouldn’t be deemed risky, and most screenwriters would have revised it so that the audience can have some time to invest into these two characters. Luckily, Haythe didn’t do this and he remains quite faithful to Yates throughout, with very little deleted and one specific injection which I will touch upon later.

Frank only wants to maintain a state of normalcy, and he only unleashes frustration on his wife when she attempts to do something on her own (like the stage work). Sex between them temporarily ceases, and this is partly the reason why Frank decides to have an affair. One particularly striking sequence is when Frank returns home after taking a vaginal dip in the secretarial pool and finds his wife and children wishing him happy birthday, complete with frosting and candles. Frank is so moved and taken aback that he looks like he’s on the verge of tears…not necessarily because of the situation, but because she’s doing what he wants her to do. Following this is April laying out her plan to her husband, telling him everything he wants to hear (read Opening Statement again), using everything she was taught in grade-school Home Economics class. It’s only a matter of time when Frank realizes she really doesn’t want to play house anymore…

Sam Mendes has emerged as one of the finest filmmakers (and storytellers) of the past decade. American Beauty became a word-of-mouth hit which garnered nearly unanimous acclaim. His second film, Road To Perdition, was a ’30s gangster tale about fathers and sons, sins and redemption; not only did I deem it better than Beauty, but I also thought it was the best film of the year (sadly, the hyped-up Chicago hogged the spotlight come Oscar time). Next came Jarhead, a compelling soldier’s account of the Iraq War.  In 2003, Mendes married Kate Winslet, who was already emerging as one of the finest actresses of her generation.  Is Revolutionary Road his masterpiece?  It’s too early to say, but it gets my vote as the finest film of his career thus far, and I hail it as a must-see if you liked any of his previous films.  As always, Mendes’ eye for detail, intelligent approach, and dead-on observations are here and they are undisputed and uncompromising.

The subject matter may be difficult (and ultimately depressing) to get through, but the persuasive, peerless  performances help a great deal.  Back in late 1997, DiCaprio and Winslet became the screen couple to fall in love with, and it was impossible not to go out and see a poster of them over Cameron’s replica of the unsinkable vessel Titanic.  Eleven years later, both have really developed as sensational actors, particularly Leo, who spent quite a few years overcoming his hot “man-child” physique.  That being said, this is truly the first time I’ve watched the actor and forgot completely who was playing the part.  DiCaprio escapes into Frank Wheeler’s lost breadwinner role with equal parts raw rage and complex melancholy.  Many have already cited this turn as most Oscar-worthy, though it’s going to be a hard pick when the competition is a patient Frank Langella and a supposedly retiring Clint Eastwood.

Matching him is Winslet who, as always, has the uncanny ability to be extraordinarily subtle and combustively fervid…and sometimes these traits overlap each other without warning.  This is an ideal Woman’s Role if there ever was one, as Winslet calls to mind such previous (and equally brilliant) actresses as Carrie Snodgress and Marlee Matlin who were able to embrace emollience while also fiercely—and passionately—combating masculine control.   The actress is also given the opportunity to execute a monologue in dramatic closeup (a rarity in today’s films) which chills the viewer to the bone; Mendes, whose background is theater, is one of the only directors today who could make this work without it ever becoming like a photographed stage play.  This is definately Winslet’s year to shine, with her concurrent part in the The Reader getting equal attention which could lead to Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nods.

However, Revolutionary Road is so much more than a showcase for two gifted stars.  Roger Deakins has quickly become in-demand, as his resplendent, milky cinematography brings to life the Conneticut suburbs of the ’50s and gives loving attention to a wasteland of picket fences and large, two-story homes.  From the antique cushions to the cubicled spaces, Kristi Zea’s production design is both nostalgic and layered.  And Thomas Newman once again contributes a gentle, potent score which gives the picture a much-needed emotional pulse.  Add to all that one of the most unforgettable, richly symbolic images in cinema history (Haythe’s one notable contribution to the screenplay which I alluded to earlier), and you have a staggering motion picture which hit’s the bulls-eye on not only an technical scale but an artistic one as well. 

The Rebuttal Witnesses
The casting/re-teaming of DiCaprio and Winslet was indeed a brilliant stroke, but it also will give audiences a somewhat preconceived notion of what Revolutionary Road is.  Quite simply, there will be many people who will not like it, and some will ultimately slam it for being too disturbing and depressing.  (Critics have done just that, which may very well hurt the film’s chances of making an impression during awards season.)  I saw the film twice, and each time there were gasps, queasiness and uncomfortable silence emitting from the audience.  The ending of the picture also made many laugh when it wasn’t meant to be humerous, but in fact a cold statement of humanity in general.  I think most just wanted to alleviate the funk they were in, if only for a brief moment.  One girl sitting near me recognized how appropriately dismal the conclusion was, and verbally acknowledged this by saying, how “That’s so sad.”  I’m sure others will feel the same way, yet most will be slightly put off at Revolutionary Road emerging as a downer of sorts.  But, then again, another domestic family drama, Ordinary People, went the same route and it won Best Picture.

Closing Statement
Ironically enough, what’s really sad is the strong probability of Revolutionary Road becoming as underrated as Titanic is overrated.  There may not be a visual spectacle of a ship sinking, but there will be two actors who will leave your faces as rubicund and eyes as teary as they are on the screen.  Of all the glowing reviews which have been written since the film’s release, I think Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said it best:  “Finally, this is a movie that can and should be seen more than once.  Watch it one time through her eyes.  Watch it again through his eyes.  It works both ways.  It works in every way.  This is a great American film.”  I took it his advice and did see it twice; now I can’t wait to see it again.  It may be a painful road to travel on, but it’s still highly recommended and I hail it as one of 2008’s very best…if not very best.

The Verdict
10/10