Revolutionary Road 2008

Sirpa reviewed Revolutionary Road (2008)

Oh wow

That's what was on the top of my mind after seeing this movie. Some parts felt so very familiar. Kinda like watching myself a few years back. The movie's timeline is in the 50s, but it's very adaptable to our day too. April's idea of moving to Paris was almost exactly what happened when our family moved to Australia. And the comments we got were surprisingly similar to what April and Frank got. Even today the idea of a working mum and a stay-at-home dad seems odd to people. Fortunately we didn't end up like April and Frank, but our plan worked out fine.

I suppose April doesn't really understand that moving to another country will not solve anything. You can't really run away from yourself. In the end life is the same anywhere: there's bills to pay and work to do no matter where you live.

Frank on the other hand seems very unsatisfied. He knows he's settling for a familiar but unsatisfactory life instead of stepping out of his comfort zone to try something new and wild and completely insane (in others' point of view) and he hates himself for it.

The cast is wonderful, Leo and Kate really do outstanding job as do the rest of the crew. I hate the ending, though. The ending sucked big time. I'm not by any means all for happy endings, but any other kind of ending would've been better.

calvin reviewed Revolutionary Road (2008)

Like watching your parents battle it out til the very bitter end

I guess this is THE movie in the news everywhere at the moment, the re-teaming of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time since Titanic 12 years ago. Although it wasn't really a pleasant watch, I can say I was blown away by their performances. I've always been a fan of Kate Winslet but she's definitely worth any award coming her away from from her performance as April, as aspiring actress who gives up her career and trades it in for a that white house and kids in the 50s American suburbia (in Connecticut) only to realise a few years down the line that it's not enough. Meanwhile her husband Frank, played by surprisingly competent DiCaprio, faces torment of his own, stuck in a job he hates and realising he's become his father, who he used to hate and feel sorry for. Together they blame each other, they fight, they scream, they make up; only to use their words again, unimaginably cruelly until that fateful bitter end.

Ultimately it's all about their selfishness. She is selfish and wants more, he's selfish and blames her for ending up living a life he hates, both are so very sad about selling their ideals and settling in to a comfortable life neither has ever really wanted. Something in the intensity rings so true, so genuine. It's like you're watching your parents fight out all their frustration with such vigour and passion that it touches you. Almost cuts you deep inside. You alternate between the two, feeling sorry for both, siding with each at different parts, wonder how they can be so cruel to each other, wonder how they could let things get so bad. Especially April's plan for their redemption feels more like an act of selfishness than anything else. She comes up with a plan for them to move to Paris, her gettting a job and him having time to discover what he wants, in a way starting over there for them, for the family, but really, it's all about her. Not Frank. Not the kids. Not the family. Her. So when she gets pregnant by mistake again and Frank gets a promotion and moving doesn't seem possible anymore, she completely unravels.

Apparently the movie is based on a celebrated US literature classic (Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates) and this is the first time anyone's ever attempted to put it in movie form. I think it has a lot to teach anyone watching it, it has something for everyone to relate to and I think for most people, it will cut them quite deep.