Revolutionary Road - A-

In theaters January 9th. Rated R, 118 minutes. Trailer.

Dysfunction in suburbia is hardly a new theme for a movie, especially for Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Jarhead). His new film, Revolutionary Road, is an adaptation of the revered 1962 novel of the same name (written by Richard Yates). In it Kate Winslet (Mendes' real life wife) and Leonardo DiCaprio come together as Lilly and Frank Wheeler to provide a searing and anxious portrayal of a couple stuck in their proscribed roles. Click below for more on RR:

The story is typical - the execution and performances are not. Frank and Lilly meet in Manhattan and plan a rich life but instead get pregnant and move to the suburbs. Frank is stuck in a job he doesn't like (but it pays the bills) and Lilly is trapped in the suburbs with two kids. Lilly conceives a plan to take the family to Paris and free them from the mind-numbing suburban prison they find themselves in. Trouble is, she gets pregnant and Frank gets promoted, scuttling the plans. The fall-out from Frank's decision not to move the family to Paris is dramatic and intense as it plays out over a period of weeks, resulting in a wrenching climax.

Along the way, the 'truth' is spoken by the neighbor's intellectual son (who has been wrongfully committed to the state psychiatric hospital), at first it is received well and then, as the plans change, it is not received well at all. Michael Shannon plays the brother in a scene-stealing performance as intense and real as Heath Ledger's Joker (and with a similar personality and essence, in my view). Everyone adores the Wheelers, including their droll and conventional neighbors and the crazy son's mother, Kathy Bates.

I was blown away by DiCaprio's performance. His rage and pent-up frustrations and insecurities are real and painful. Winslet is good also, but the performance I left talking about was Leo's and Shannon's. Mendes' returns to A territory after a disappointing Jarhead, but is overly reliant on the slow fade out and piano heavy score - reminding any perceptive viewer of American Beauty a few too many times. He does a good job of mixing up the good guys and bad guys throughout the course of the film (although I sympathize greatly with Frank, except for the secretary). The film's main weakness for me was a complete lack of screentime or consideration of the roles of the 2 existing Wheeler children.

The basic thesis of the film is that you shouldn't give up your life when you have children and that suburbia and all its trappings are a lie told by our culture to make you happy. Um, not exactly. Nobody really wants to work, we'd all rather watch movies all day and go kayaking. And children are the greatest joy and sacrifice of any parent's life - you don't get the timeless and heartbreakingly happy moments without giving up some of your 'life' to get them. I thought the film also overly simplified and dismissed the stay at home mom (which I had and my wife is - so, yeah, I'm biased) by essentially saying you're either an idiot that accepts the numbing hopelessness or you're betraying your true self. The 'working man' doesn't fare much better as it dismisses Frank's dutiful job as a copout, which is ludicrous.

I can't overstate the 'serious drama' vibe this movie has the whole way through. This works for me and heightens the impact of the film, but leaves a depressing but thought-provoking feel to your evening. I like my dramas dark, heavy and wrenching, and this one hit all the right spots. One of the year's 5 best (revised list to come after next week's much anticipated Wrestler viewing).