Maxim’s Movie Reviews and Opinions Blog

“Revolutionary Road” is a drama set in 1950s based on Robert Yates’s novel and directed by Sam Mendes (Jarhead, Road to Perdition, American Beauty) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates.

The plot: A young couple living in mid-1950s in a Connecticut suburb is going through mid-life crisis while trying to raise their two children.

The good: Great chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. DiCaprio is very expressive and it’s clear that with every movie he plays in he is getting better. This performance is on par with Aviator and Gangs of New York. Kathy Bates and Kathryn Hahn should get at least a nomination for an Oscar for their subtle performances in supporting roles. Great dialogs (I didn’t read the book but based on the movie it sounds like it is well thought-through). The final scene made me laugh.

The bad: What a depressing movie! The moral of the movie is “DO. NOT. GET. MARRIED. Marriage sucks”. So if your marriage sucks (most marriages do), you may find comfort in the idea that you are not alone – there are plenty of dysfunctional people around who made that [biggest] mistake [of their lives]. They actually say that in the movie: after some struggle with self-finding the couple admits that “they are just like everybody else”. A failed actress figures she can at least find purpose in life by becoming a wife and a mother. She marries a guy that made her lough at a party. She figures nobody is perfect but here’s a descent guy so she settles for him. Problem is that once you settle for less then the fairytale ”greatest love story of our time”, like once you see in old Hollywood movies, you will always long for more and better. And not everybody has courage to wait forever for that special soul-mate that you dream to have that deep connection with. So now that people realize their partner is annoyingly not special in any way, the resentment grows which results in infidelity and disloyalty, which in turn results in distrust and people “get better at lying” instead of always telling the truth and then everybody feels like they live in a jail.

In the final scene you get to see what married couples become when they get old. It’s funny and depressing at the same time.

Is there a movie where Kate Winslet does not have sex? What a career!

The summary: This is a drama about a married couple that is… just like everybody else. Don’t ever get married unless you found a person that you are 100% sure you want to get old with. Good acting but so depressing.

The cast: Frank Wheeler - Leonardo DiCaprio | April Wheeler - Kate Winslet | John Givings - Michael Shannon | Jennifer Wheeler - Ryan Simpkins | Michael Wheeler - Ty Simpkins | Shep Campbell - David Harbour | Milly Campbell - Kathryn Hahn | Jack Ordway – Dylan Baker | Vince Lathrop – Max Baker | Bart Pollack – Jay O. Sanders | Mrs. Helen Givings - Kathy Bates | Mr. Howard Givings – Richard Easton

The crew: Director – Sam Mendes | Writers - Justin Haythe (Screenplay), Richard Yates (Novel) | Producers – Bobby Cohen, John Hart, Sam Mendes, Scott Rudin, Gina Amoroso, Henry Fernaine, Pippa Harris, Peter Kalmbach, Marion Rosenberg, David M. Thompson, Nina Wolarsky | Original Music – Thomas Newman | Cinematography – Roger Deakins | DreamWorks Pictures | BBC Films