Based on 1961 novel of the same name, Revolutionary Road is set in the 1950's, and follows the relationship of April and Frank Wheeler. Frank and April are a young couple that feel they weren't made to fit in with everyday 1950's society. Frank has a well-paying job, they live in a big house, and they have two beautiful children, but the Wheelers arn't happy. They want more, particularly April, who's dreams of being an actress were dashed when she fell pregnant. Hoping to get out of their situation while they still can, April plans a move to Paris for the family, but all does not go as she had hoped.
"Hopeless emptiness. Now you've said it. Plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness."
DiCaprio and Winslet accomplished what they had originally set out to do: Revolutionary Road is nothing like Titanic. While both films have a great sadness to them, Revolutionary Road's subject matter is far more depressing. This statement in itself seems ridiculous considering the loss of life that occured during the sinking of Titanic, but that film represented hope for its characters. They were not willing to just give up. In Revolutionary Road, however, most of the characters, including the Wheelers, have given up on any hopes and dreams that they ever had, and have settled for an uninteresting, mundane life.
One similarity between the two films is that both sets of characters (Jack and Rose from Titanic; Frank and April from Revolutionary Road) are entrapped. In Titanic, this entrapment comes from being stuck on a sinking ship. In Revolutionary Road, it comes from being stuck in a bad marriage. In a way, both sets of characters are also fighting for their survival. In Titanic, this is a given, but I also believe this to be true of Revolutionary Road.
"No one forgets the truth, Frank, they just get better at lying."
The performances given by DiCaprio and Winslet are great; they are on top form here. I once heard DiCaprio state that he felt completely comfortable around Winslet, and he believed he could do anything with her or to her while acting. This came across in Revolutionary Road. He gives a great performance as Frank Wheeler, however, he is outshone by Winslet. I think that, out of the two of them, she is the better actor, if only slightly, and she really brought the character of April to life. Now having said that, Winslet did not give the best performance of the film. That was given by Michael Shannon, who played psychiatric patient John Givings. Shannon has minimal screen time, but boy did he make the most of it. He really didn't hold back in his portrayal of Givings, and absolutely deserved his Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards that year (2009).
If you're hoping to find a Jack and Rose reunion here, I wouldn't recommend you seeing Revolutionary Road. If you do, however, want to see a good movie about suburban life in the 50's, then this is the film for you. 7/10
Trivia: Revolutionary Road was the first and only (so far) time that Kate Winslet worked with her then husband Sam Mendes (They are now separated). This also marks the second time that Kathy Bates, who plays Helen Givings, has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio and Winslet. The three of them starred together in the film Titanic eleven years earlier.
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