Revolutionary Road
Year: 2008
Grade: B+
Country: USA
Director: Mendes
Reviewas good a film as this is, i couldn’t help but feel that it could have been better. for one, the trailer was simply epic. it told the story of the failed american dream and a failed relationship to the soundtrack of nina simone’s “wild is the wind” and did so about as efficiently as possible. it’s one of the best trailers ever.
the film itself didn’t quite live up the trailer, but you can’t hold that against it. you can fault mendes’ direction which, at times, felt absent. the writing, too, seemed to take a break once in a while. it was occasionally great, but occasionally too self-aware or un-naturalistic to the point that it jolted me out of the viewing experience. dicaprio and winslet were both excellent and were truly the heart of the film. that said, a supporting actor nomination should go to michael shannon for his role as a mental patient who visits the couple a few times and provides the film with its emotional/moral compass.
for all its defects revolutionary road still tells a good, touching story with two characters with real meat on their bones. the actors do a great job, i just wish those behind the camera had been equal to the task.
Watched in theater