Revolutionary Road - B+

As lawyer said, it’s a rough sit-through; Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet’s married couple fight the vast majority of the film. Their children are basically forgotten- so much so that when they’re mentioned, it’s unintentionally funny. But my main problem with the film is: Why is Paris the only solution? Why not just move back to New York City? Because that wouldn’t solve a thing (and neither would Paris). Kate’s April Wheeler is an unbelievably selfish and self-absorbed character. Leo’s character Frank is exactly right when he describes how crazy she is and accuses her of being an unfit mother. Obviously, (=>) Frank’s no saint, but it would seem April has emotionally and mentally castrated him at home. And as the “truth-speaker” and presumed insane John (played by the brilliant Michael Shannon) says, Frank doesn’t really feel like a man.
Which explains but does not excuse Frank’s infidelity. But could somebody explain April’s betrayal? Because she sucks at acting (April, not Kate)? She certainly feels trapped in the suburbs and “better” than her neighbors, but her actions are less sane than anything John could have done. I can understand smoking and drinking while you’re pregnant (it is the mid 1950s and most people didn’t know any better), but cheating in a car compulsively? Unforgivable. Which makes Leo’s performance toward the end all the more devastating. Does anyone believe April would have been such a great parent to her kids had an opposite, alternative scenario happened? Which brings us to Winslet - who received the Oscar last February for the wrong film. Her glances, hesitations, and posture give depth to her troubled character and the film could have been unwatchable in another actress’s hands. Just edging out Synecdoche, New York, Revolutionary Road is the best acted film of last year.Sam Mendes rebounds from Jarhead to deliver a well-framed, well-paced heavy drama. The 1955 setting is exquisitely recreated and Roger Deakins cinematography is beautiful as expected. It’s certainly one of the best put-together films of last year. The structure, taken from Richard Yates’s novel, is sublime. The couple’s decision to escape makes Leo relaxed at work which leads to his promotion. Their Paris decision also leads to a rekindled romance, which leads to the pregnancy and the unraveling of the whole thing. Yates’s worldview is exceedingly pessimistic and depressing to say the least, but the film will make you evaluate the institution of marriage like no other. Though stuck in the 50s, its themes seem even more appropriate and applicable today. The community’s response to the tragic events in the last few scenes is genius. B+

Final Top Ten of 2008
1. The Dark Knight
2. Let the Right One In
3. Synecdoche, New York
4. The Wrestler
5. Wall-E
6. In Bruges
7. Revolutionary Road
8. Man On Wire
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10. Happy-Go-Lucky

Runner-ups: Tropic Thunder, The Bank Job, Burn After Reading