Revolutionary Road

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates, Dylan Baker, Ryan Simpkins
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A husband (Leonardo DiCaprio) and wife (Kate Winslet) face marital trouble in the 1950s as they begin to question whether they are really living the lives they imagined.

Review:

Tim: Revolutionary Road marks the first time Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunited since their successful turns in Titanic. Audiences had to wait 11 years for this, and they were given a dramatic, powerfully acted borefest. I couldn't believe how boring this movie was from start to finish. Even worse, it wasn't particularly interesting or powerful at all. I was surprised that critics liked it so much. This movie felt like one of those films that tries so hard to be overly dramatic, intent on being "award worthy." Yes, it was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, but it luckily didn't win any.

I was surprised that the performances of the film weren't better. I wasn't particularly impressed with Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet. They spend most of the movie yelling at each other. This passes for great acting. They certainly have their moments, but they have been far, far better in other films. They almost seem as bored with the material as the audience. I was also surprised to see that Michael Shannon received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Are you kidding me? Sometimes the Academy truly baffles me. Is Shannon the best thing in the movie? Probably. And yet, he isn't on screen nearly enough to make any kind of impact on the film. I laughed at him at first, but I soon grew tired of his character and his performance. I can't understand for the life of me why someone who actually made a difference in a film wasn't recognized for his work, rather than giving Shannon a nom for his few brief minutes of screen time.

I might have liked this movie more if I didn't feel like I'd already seen it before. It was far too close to director Sam Mendes' far superior American Beauty with a bit of Far From Heaven thrown in. It just felt redundant. I know I am being hard on this movie, and I have to admit that it is not all bad. It is certainly has some good moments, but just as a whole, it feels a bit pointless. Yes, the movie has a fairly shocking ending, but I just couldn't maintain any real interest in the film.

Revolutionary Road just felt like major Oscar-bait to me. It feels like one of those self-important movies that is so focused on being edgy and important that it forgets to actually be entertaining. Some people undoubtedly will like this movie, but I simply couldn't get involved in the story, the characters, or the movie as a whole. I feel like this was a major disappointment and I wonder if some critics liked the film mainly because they were "supposed" to like it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
American Beauty, Far From Heaven, Titanic, The Reader