REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Directed by Sam Mendes
Produced by John N. Hart, Scott Rudin, Mendes & Bobby Cohen
Written by Justin Haythe, novel by Richard Yates
Released by Dreamworks/Paramount Vantage
USA/UK. 119 min. Rated R
With Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, David Harbour, Dylan Baker, Richard Easton & Zoe Kazan
 

Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) are not terribly different from other unhappy/arguing couples from other dysfunctional marriage dramas. But they know they should be happy, and somehow never are. They live in 1950s suburban Connecticut, where Frank takes the train to work in New York City and April stays home as housewife and mother of their two kids. Everything is by-the-book in this classic color-coordinated setting, but only on the surface.

Their lives move mechanically—even an affair that Frank has with a secretary has the ring of the expected—which is not quite in line with what April expected when they married. To break away from the predictable and let loose, both dream of escaping to Paris with their children, where April will work as a secretary while Frank finds a possible artistic voice, but the goal is kind of an emotional black hole leading to disaster.

Mendes takes some very promising material and makes it stand out as a riveting drama. A close return to the terrain of American Beauty, Revolutionary Road is equally imbued with dark wit and volcanic beats. It’s easy to imagine that Mendes’s two leads, stars of the biggest blockbuster in Hollywood history, will succeed at least in reestablishing a strong connection. But now, they’re better actors, more experienced, ready to go as far as the scene requires, and then just a little further.

DiCaprio, particularly, is an emerging talent (thanks to his work in Martin Scorsese’s films). He pulls off some of his most subtle work here, particularly when Frank is with his secretary/side-squeeze Maureen (Zoe Kazan). And Winslet is a consistently brilliant force in every scene. Considering where her character goes in the story—which is so spoiler-filled I won’t mention here—it’s about as daring as Mendes’ direction.

The tone is just what the material asks for, with Mendes establishing a mood that could shatter any minute. (Roger Deakins’ photography is full of hidden wonders as far as the deliberate lighting goes.) In fact, the film includes probably some of the best direction of conflict since Scenes from a Marriage.

Fantastic character actor Michael Shannon plays a former mental patient who’s had several shock treatments, and he makes the most of his three crucial scenes. What’s usually a convenient plot point of a mentally-ill-character-as-the-voice-of truth is made totally fascinating (and shockingly funny) by Shannon’s performance. If there’s ever a dark horse Oscar performance, it’s this one. Jack Gattanella
December 23, 2008