Movie Review: Revolutionary Road (2008)

As Mr. Garrison of South Park would say, the film was "Only Mmmmkay." Revolutionary Road just doesn't have a lot of "there" there. It was enjoyable in the sense that it was fun watching completely warped characters systematically fuck up their lives even more. Like a train wreck.

The plot deserves almost no introduction, so I won't spend too much time on it. Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are two "special" people who buy in to job security and the 50's suburban culture. This, along with their inability to communicate with each other and reignite the passion of their early years together, lead to a lot of drama and unnecesary shenanigans. Not a particularily dynamic plot, and there aren't any car chases or explosions, but certainly interesting on a psychological level.

Revolutionary Road hinders on the rather presumptuous notion that EVERYONE in the audience holds the viewpoint that the 50's Consumer Culture, Conspicuous Consumption, and Suburban Lifestyles were inherently flawed and hollow. It's a little risky to just lump history into a 2 hour movie, and certainly ballsey to fearlessly tote around this thematic viewpoint so OBVIOUSLY. My biggest thematic problem with Rev. Road was the lack of subtlety. The blatant discussion of the death of the American dream (eg. that long speech by Winslet about how they are "special") is nothing short of a pathetic attempt by the screenwriting crew to make the movie more faithful to the themes of the novel (written in the 60's by Richard Yates). But instead of doing it WELL through subtlety, good shots and character development, Revolutionary Road has the tendancy to editorialize. And it's not a good thing.

The film-making itself is decent. Kate and DiCaprio are VERY good actors and are extremely powerful in the lead roles. Their performaces are enough reason to see the movie, and the combination of tension, physical violence, sexual frustration, and sheer rage is remarkably realistic and intriguing. The subsidiary cast, however, does a terrible job of keeping up with the two leads' power and dynamic development. Essentially, the movie falls apart whenever Kate and DiCaprio aren't onscreen togher. However, the movie is redeemed by good cinematography and a decent original score. If anything, I'd nominate Revolutionary Road for an Oscar simply based on the great shots of Leo DiCaprio in the train station, surrounded by dress-conforming businessmen. Again, blatant, but well-done.

MY RATING: Good acting and mediocre everything else. See only if you're a fan of DiCaprio and/or Winslet. Otherwise leave it to the pile of forgettable American dramas.