Tough street to live on
Many people went into Revolutionary Road expecting something different. I’m not sure what they were expecting, maybe the magic that DiCaprio and Winslet had on the S.S. Titanic. What most came away with was a heavy dose of reality. While I certainly think the time period for this was nothing like it is today, at least for the man/woman roles, I do believe that what could go wrong with a marriage is still very valid.
The story follows Frank and Alice. Two lovers who married through the intention of doing something more than ordinary. Regretfully, Frank, a once ambitious man wanting to own the world, has turned into an unhappy husband who can’t respect himself or anyone in his life. Alice has gone from a doting wife, to a lost soul. When their lives come to a near stop/divorce, Alice tries to restore their fire through an old idea of living in France, which will hopefully inspire Frank to break out of his drab mold and transport him back to the body of his young ambitious self. To do this sounds simple, but the only support that Alice and Frank have in their lives for this idea is coming from their own damaged relationship. Regretfully, other factors weigh into and their wonderful idea might be heading for disaster.
Oh, this story is rough. It’s rough because if you’re married you’ve seen this before. Every married couple, especially those that marry young (and have kids) know what this feels like. Once you get sucked into suburban life, it’s tough to get back out. Instead of grabbing the world, you tend to take baby steps from year to year, which basically leads you into old-age and excuses of why you couldn’t accomplish more. This is the essence of the storyline. It’s a movie that really warns of this happening and almost acts as a guide to married couples that they should live the dream they want before it’s too late. Sam Mendes puts together a film that hurts from beginning to end. He creates the illusion of happiness and unveils the sadness that lies inside of a broken relationship. He does it so well that you’ll forget about DiCaprio and Winslet as actors. You’ll forget that they once loved each other on a sinking ship. You’ll think of them as Frank and Alice trying not to drown in the their own pool of mediocre acceptance they’ve made for each other in a life they’ve regretfully gotten trapped into. To reinforce this idea, their supporting cast, led by David Harbour as Shep Campbell, help to keep Frank and Alice in check and constantly on their suburban path. Mendes has woven such a frightening tale. It’s like two couples who realized there is more out there than just going to work and cleaning house. Thanks to their own ideals, they’re beaten back by this supporting cast, whose characters desperately want out just as bad as Frank and Alice.
This movie is very tough to handle and if you’re married it will literally scare you.
For every dark-side there is a light-side, though. The movie also gives you a secondary lesson, which is appreciate what you have while you have it. I don’t want to get into details, but love your spouse every day, and let them know that you love them before you go to bed. You really have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow, so cherish today. This lesson is perhaps the toughest to swallow in the film as you’ll see towards the end. Just like the first layer of the story, this secondary layer is really simultaneously run along side as the first layer. You just don’t see the second layer until it’s too late. Credit the actors and actresses for this, as a second viewing of this film will reveal this layer.
In the end, the only thing that hurt this film is the harsh douse of reality that it brings. I’ve talked to some people who have seen this in the theater and they were completely caught off-guard by the content. I can see how something as powerful as this film can really smack someone in the face if they’re not looking for it. Most people will be so turned off by this that they’ll want to shun the film. This is the only flaw I can see. Everything else (the performances, the flow of the story, even the harshness of side-stories that help build the main story) seems to be just right.
Almost revolutionary on Blu-ray
There is no doubt that the Blu-ray of this film captures the time period perfectly. Everything looks gorgeous down to the drinks at lunchtime (that still kills me, funny as sin…. unless you don’t find sin funny). Anyway, it looks great on Blu-ray and shines in 1080p. As for the audio, which is a bit annoying (change the main theme once in awhile), it sounds fine remastered. Just wish the music switched up a bit.
As for features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Commentary by Sam Mendes and writer Justin Haythe
– Deleted scenes with optional commentary from Mendes and Haythe
– Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Making of Revolutionary Road
– Richard Yates: The Wager of Truth
– Theatrical Trailer
The features are good, not fantastic. It’s tough to take a sad drama like this and make features exciting. The reason being, it’s not going to get happier. So, if you love the movie and want more insight behind it, you’ll be in heaven.
