Sorry, I lied. I just watched this movie, so I decided to make this my first review. Hope you enjoy it, you should check the movie out.

4/5

Revolutionary Road

Director: Sam Mendes (American Beauty)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator, The Departed) Kate Winslet (Hamlet, The Reader)

In Revolutionary Road, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as a young, attractive married couple who seemingly have the American dream figured out. However, there are many beneath the surface problems with their life and marriage together that plague them.

Sick of seeing her husband in a dead end job that she knows he doesn't enjoy, April decides that they should move to Paris with their two children to not get trapped under the hopelessness of life where they are.

The acting in this film is top tier. DiCaprio is groundbreaking as a man who feels trapped by what his father was and what he believes that he should be. Upon first seeing that this was a repairing of the Titanic romance pair, I was a bit skeptical about whether the chemistry could work again. But it did, tenfold. DiCaprio, whose most recent performances had been of smugglers (Blood Diamond) and CIA operatives (Body of Lies,) brings his acting back to reality, his portrait of a regular man dealing with everyman issues is real, it is believable, and it is also heartbreaking. Kate Winslet's depiction of a mentally ill housewife is thought-provoking, and it's just more incredibly impressive stuff from Winslet who is always incredible. Other than the two leads, the standouts are slim, except for Micheal Shannon, who plays the mentally ill son of the Wheeler's friend, Mrs. Givings. This performance scored Shannon a nomination for best supporting actor, which he should have won. His character exposed all of the truths behind everything that the Wheelers did, raising the issue of the blurred lines between sanity and insanity. DiCaprio's character summed up the general view that society has toward the mentally ill by saying “You're wrong! He's insane!”

Sam Mendes presents another lyrical and sympatheic portrait of a struggling American family, just as he did with his Oscar winning American Beauty. This movie really could have been melodramatic, but it wasn't. Everything there was real, right down to the sweat on the faces of the Wheelers on a hot July night. It's refreshing when films include details like that, it brings an entirely new sense to the film. It's such a simple detail, yet many directors choose to make their stars look as beautiful as possible to please audiences.

The weak points of the movie are in the pacing department. Flashbacks come and go inexplicably without a reference to the fact that it's a flashback. Also, the Wheeler's kids are strangely absent throughout the majority of the movie, and the script did not make it clear where exactly they went. Were they sent away because of their mother's mental illness, or were they just magically absent when their parents were yelling, screaming, and fighting with each other? That confused me.

Revolutionary Road is a unique film that presents a different angle to the American dream-escaping the American dream, following passions, and being truly happy. Unfortunately, the Wheelers expierienced the harsh reality of said dream- with tragic consequences.