Following in the footsteps of my Ode to Leo, I'd like to talk about another of his movies that I just recently watched. I am a huge Sam Mendes fan, so I can't believe I didn't catch this one in the theaters. However, upon watching it, I am glad I waited to see it. This is my least favorite Mendes film. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio deliver great performances as April and Frank Wheeler, although it is neither one's best film. (Note, Winslet did win the Golden Globe for it)
The story follows a young couple in the 1950s as they struggle through mundane suburban life. They think of themselves as different and unique but are forced to come to grips with the ordinariness that is their lives. It is the picture of an unhappy marriage and an unhappy life. Neither Frank nor April has much in the way of positive attributes, and it was hard for me to relate to, or empathize with, either one of the philandering, self centered, moral-less, depressing main characters.
Mendes tends to make films that show a dark side of life, and unlike American Beauty which succeeded with magnificence, Revolutionary Road fell far short. I can see why the Academy jilted the movie of a best picture nomination, it was just flat out depressing. It was not depressing in a profound or poignant way, just a sad and draining way. Life just can't possibly be that terrible, and I sure don't want to spend two hours trying to being convinced that it might be.
Revolutionary Road wasn't totally a bad movie. It was interesting in many ways, but it was also totally unoriginal in many ways. A distraught portrayal of marriage in the '50s? Not a new concept. A husband and wife that fight all the time? Also not new. A tragic end to tragic characters? Certainly not new, and definitely not fun to watch. Well acted? Absolutely. Well filmed? Yes.
In sum, fans of Mendes might find something to like in the film. Those who tend to like dark movies might find something to like in the film as well. However, as I can claim both of these tendencies, I could not find much to like in Revolutionary Road.
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-Emily
