Eleven years ago, two ill-fated lovers set sail on the most famous ships of all time. Eleven Oscars and $2 billion later, Titanic was proclaimed the most successful film of all time, thanks in no small part to the steamy romance between its two leads, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. More impressive than the massive financial haul of the film is the fact that both actors have managed to escape typecasting, and are now regarded as two of the finest actors working today. Now the duo have finally found material deemed suitable for their big screen reunion.
“Revolutionary Road,” directed by Winslet’s husband, Sam Mendes, sees the two as a successful suburban couple in 1950s Connecticut. Frank (DiCaprio) works a cubicle job, full of water-cooler gossip and strained lunch conversations. April (Winslet) stays at home, tending to the kids and house with a white apron and painted-on smile. It is easy to see they are not happy with the way things turned out. Seeking a way out of horrid normalcy, April proposes that the family pull up its roots and move to Paris, the one place Frank claims that people are really alive. After some initial hesitations, he agrees, and the two happily look forward to the move. Needless to say, it is not quite that easy and the two struggle as they attempt to relocate.
“Revolutionary Road” is filled with shots of egg-beating, cigarette smoking and casual conversation. Mendes, whose earlier work includes the much flashier domestic drama, “American Beauty,” tries as hard as he can to capture the more restrained nature of the movie’s time period. He experiences both success and failure along the way. Thankfully, he has the help of celebrated cinematographer Roger Deakins, who captures all of this normalcy with arresting detail and subtle beauty. His camera deftly illustrates the hidden meanings behind every corner and the underlying messages behind every statement.
The most frequently asked question about “Revolutionary Road” is, “Do Kate and Leo still have the magic?” The answer, however, is not quite as simple as a yes or no. Kicking, screaming, and insincere smiling, Frank and April are not only less romantically inclined than Jack and Rose, they are downright cruel to each other for the majority of the movie. Their domestic battle is often a captivating one, the two trading barbs with extreme harshness.
As good as DiCaprio is, Winslet is the one who really shines. Most critics cite Michael Shannon as the standout performance, but his truth-telling mad man is just the kind of showy role that gets noticed. Winslet’s April is the more fully realized part, opting to use nuance instead of volume.
“Revolutionary Road” is a pretty tough sell. It’s full of commonplace, household situations and features two leads who do not really like each other. The whole movie is more than a bit depressing, but underneath all of these familiar situations lies something truly profound, something that must have been relevant at the time Richard Yates wrote the source novel, and something that remains relevant now. Even if the screenplay occasionally beats you over the head with it, and even if the pleasantries become a bit excessive, the acting and ideas contained in the movie make it well worth a trip down “Revolutionary Road.”
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