Revolutionary Road |  | Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Studio: Paramount
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $1.88
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Seller: goHastings
Rating:  184 reviews
Sales Rank: 1985
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), Spanish (Unknown), French (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.4
MPN: 097363521846
UPC: 097363521846
EAN: 0097363521846
ASIN: B0016Q2D66
Theatrical Release Date: December 19, 2008
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (DVD/WS/WITH IRC)
Amazon.com
In Revolutionary Road, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for the first time since their careers exploded with Titanic--and it's almost as if they're playing the same characters, only married and faced with the hollowness of a 1950s suburban existence. Frank and April Wheeler (DiCaprio and Winslet) always thought of themselves as special, but they settled in a conventional Connecticut suburb when they had children. Hungry for a less constricted life, April persuades Frank to move to Paris--but slowly their plans unravel and their marriage unravels along with it. While Revolutionary Road may be a bit too glib about suburban emptiness--the lives Frank and April lead don't seem so stifled--the portrait of a mismatched marriage is vivid and devastating. The ways that Frank and April misinterpret each other, and the subtle yet unbearable dissatisfaction they feel, is rendered with remarkable and unsettling acuteness. Winslet and DiCaprio's natural chemistry tells us what drew these two together, making the way they tear each other apart all the more shocking. The excellent supporting cast includes Kathy Bates (Misery), Dylan Baker (Happiness), and especially Michael Shannon (Bug) as a mentally troubled mathematician who cuts to the quick of the Wheelers' troubles. Mention must be made of the beautiful production design; the costumes and sets are simply gorgeous. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Revolutionary Road (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 184
 Film as art. February 28, 2010
Timothy P. Scanlon (Hyattsville, MDUSA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Allow me to start with what seems to be a comment not relevant to the film (though it is relevant to the critique): I was overall impressed with it. The story, depressing but "real"; the acting: award winning. Etc. So I looked at the 1-star reviews, curious why people DIDN'T like it.
After reading them, I thought of a conversation I had with a younger neighbor about the latest Star Trek film, and the Batman movies which he loves and I don't. I commented that the generation behind me seems to be more into "action" films. They don't necessarily make any sense, but they ARE action-packed. And the hero always wins.
What I see in the 1-star reviews are people who see a film because they want to "feel good." In that sense, hero films and silly romances would win hands down. But a film such as this--and another depressing classic, "Glenngary Glenn Ross," would fail miserably. Interesting that to such people film is simply escape.
I didn't really know what to expect in the film. I anticipated someone whose ideals had been disrupted, and there's some truth to that.
And, since so many others have gone over the story line, I don't want to repeat much. What I noticed is that the Wheelers (DiCaprio/Winslet) were a rising young couple in the upward bound, white community in 1955. Frank didn't like his job, with a high tech company of the era. April confronted him and suggested, "Hey, let's be adventrous like you suggested when we first met!" They agreed to move to Paris where she'd get a secretarial job and he'd find himself, something he hadn't done to that point.
He reluctantly agreed, then, in a moment of indifference did something that impressed his company. That made him wonder as to the wisdom of that decision. In the meantime, April got pregnant. She was considering an abortion, but he felt to be left out of that decision was inexcuseable.
In the meantime, their realtor and family friend Mrs. Givings (Kathy Bates who's among the GREATS for acting) suggested they have a son who, while a Ph.D. in math is also a mental patient. Would the Wheelers like to meet him? The Givings brought their son by. Their son John was played by Michael Shannon. I'm not familiar with Shannon but he was spectacular in that role! He was the Wheelers' conscience, their mediator, the one who forced each one to face him- and her-self! While the role didn't cover that much of the film, his was the height of the drama!
Then Frank had a short-term affair with a typist at his company, and April also had one with a neighbor who'd obviously been hot on her from the beginning.
As no one wants the plot given away, I'm avoiding doing that. But the conflicts between this ideal 1950s couple was not obvious to their friends, the Campbells or the Givings. Indeed, in the closing scenes, all off them were somewhat obsessed with the Wheelers even though their relationships had ended.
The lead issue of the film to me was ideals: the Wheelers seemed to be the proverbial Cleavers to those not familiar with their...details. Frank has used the "adventurer" line to hustle up April (in the opening scene, a kind of prequel) but he wasn't happy. April wanted him/them to pursue that happiness--the adventure--but he felt more secure where they were. But none of the ideals were to be...
Yes, it IS depressing. So if your desire is a feel-good flick this ain't the one for you. If you want a story that is the definition of good literature, i.e., something from which you might learn (What happend to YOUR ideals?), don't miss it.
Both DiCaprio and Winslet were convincing, in their conflicts, in their confusion. Again, John Givings was a key figure, though didn't have more than a few minutes in the whole film. He was the one who was allegedly nuts, but was the one who forced the Wheelers to address themselves.
There's so much more I could say, but I dare not give anything away. Again, don't expect to be smiling after you've seen this. But I think it addresses issues real to many of us. Don't miss it.
 This movie is a talking point for safe abortion February 21, 2010
Jennifer J. Jesseph (Minnesota)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
You will have turned away by now if you don't believe in safe abortion and I a rarely outspoken, but here is one case. The overall arching themes of this film are the repression of the 50s and early 60s and in the end, there is the unsafe abortion the mc does for herself which does not go so well. I really did not care for the rest of this film, but it gave me a moment to talk to my teens about abortion. I know it has gone on for hundreds of thousands of years weather you like that or not, it is history. If my children or friends they know are contemplating this, please let medicine be involved!!
I did not like the rest of the movie though I like the actors. I found it to be too cliche.
Love to you
JJ
 Desperate housewife of big cinema February 19, 2010
L P (Los Angeles)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
In summary, this movie was slow and not very engaging and the story lacks some serious insight and depth. Essentially, Revolutionary Road is about a bored, spoiled woman who has a comfortable life and no real worries, so she creates some for herself.
She is married to a hard working, loving husband (Leo DiCaprio) who has a good paying job which has allowed them to lead a comfortable suburban upper middle class lifestyle with their two children. But that is not enough for April (Kate Winslet). She feels trapped and as if she has not done enough with her life, so she starts nagging her husband and tries to convince him to sell the house, uproot the family and move to France (!). Minor details, such as how they are going to make a living or even maintain their curent standard of living in a foreign country where they dont speak the language, are not further explored. Naturally, her husband is resistant to the idea and just like any sane person in their right mind, just cannot get behind his wife's idea of just leaving the country on a whim to go to France to do exactly what....eat croissants? No amount of reasoning works with her, however, and through her passive aggressiveness and constant whining and crying she pretty much promises to make his life a living hell if he does not cave in to her far-fetched, immature and selfish fantasies.
The movie tries to paint April's problems and her character in a sympathetic light; like someone who is above it all, someone we all could empathize with and whose struggles we understand. In reality, what it records is callow, immature and superficial behavior by a spoiled, ungrateful woman who has way more than she really deserves given her attitude. She is someone who does not inspire us to wish we knew her better but someone we just want to slap everytime she starts whining and throwing fits because she cannot make her life be the fantasy she'd like it to be - like a 12 year old.
The movie is a melodrama, trying to create deep seated problems and psychological struggles ex nihilo. It is as if the writers were trying to force depth into the story, where in reality there is just shallowness. April spends nearly every scene either staring longingly out of the window or with tears in her eyes, about to burst into a hysterical sob because....what...she doesnt have enough real problems in her life and has lost perspective of the things that really matter. She is like a little child who throws a fit if she doesnt get exactly what she wants. She lives in a fantasy and suffers because reality is just not ga-ga land.
When Frank, after having first agreed to go with her, changes his mind due to the promotion he finally got at work, April loses it completely, gives herself a home abortion which goes awfully wrong and then dies.
In the end, this movie leaves you unsatisfied and makes you wonder what the hell the problem actually is with April who strikes one as an incredibly immature and selfish person. Granted, suburban life can be suffocating and meaningless; "American Beauty" was another movie that gave us a glimpse into that portion of life that just seems to resemble hell, but April's reaction and attitude are pathological. Unlike Kevin Spacey's character in "American Beauty", she is not someone who is parched for love and goes ballistic. She simply does not have much love within her to begin with. She couldnt possibly be parched for something she never had. She seems to lack a moral center and only sees herself. She is not a particularly loving mother to her children or kind wife to her husband. She treats her family as some kind of nuisance that is in her way and needs to be removed. Frank is erroneously pictured as a selfish man because he is responsible enough to have a job and provide for his family and not want to run off to some random country living in a fantasy, while April, who is the real self centered prig here, is painted as the deep, sensitive rebel who can supposedly see through the phoniness. But she is the phony and it is because of her phoniness and selfishness that she is ultimately miserable. You watch this movie for two hours and wonder what the hell is wrong with this woman.
"A good movie is not what it's about, it how it's about it". This movie is slow and comatose - from the music to the script and the interaction of the characters with one another. Whereas in "American Beauty" the issue of suburban inertia was tackled with wit and irony and, most importantly, from the heart, the struggles of the characters in Revolutionary Road just seem insincere. The audience is always kept at bay and never given the opportunity to identify with either April or Frank - probably because, unlike Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) in "American Beauty", we dont really see much of ourselves and our demons in Frank's and especially April's phony problems.
Dark And Powerful Movie February 15, 2010
L. Remondet
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Revolutionary Road is a dark movie exploring the relationships of a married couple during the 1950s - the feelings of being pent up after the intial falling in love and trying to pursue dreams in a hope of salvation.
The movie "hits home" to personal experiences if you had family issues or know people who have had issues (which most people have) and the intensity, and often subtle, of tensions, arguments and figthing become properly uncomfortable. It is dark and sometimes a bit melodramatic in a couple of scenese, but despite the shortcomings the movie is a very good one.
WInslet and DiCaprio, as the married couple, turn in another round of great performances that bring the depth, and despair, to their roles and ultimately the movie all comes together as you fall into the pacing and direction of the movie.
Mendes direction is superb and the costumes, sets and lighting are very well done as you feel like you have been transported to the time and are watching people as they try to work through conflict and their lives.
 Hopeless emptyness or inventory control in life - this is what this film is about. February 12, 2010
Bitter Bunny (Chicago, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The concept is cleverly vague enough that the people this film is criticizing (those trapped within the cycle of living out their dreams exactly like the person next to them) will completely miss the point of it all. The fact is the narrative is not the typical storyline of a couple who encounters problems and is able to weather the storm towards saving their relationship. Yes, they encounter bumps in the relationship but they cannot find a resolution.
The absence of a 'happy' ending makes people cringe because in general, most like to go to the movies to escape reality, not see a numbing representation of the reality of the world. What is that reality? Well, I wouldn't be doing you any favors if I pointed that out nor would I advertise myself as one who could neatly simplify it in a few paragraphs.
I will say however that director Sam Mendes is able to let the events unfold with such care while maintaining an ever-growing presence of uneasiness, that eventually culminates in a crescendo of enormous proportions. Inevitably, this force will cause you to re-examine your relationships present, past and future. Now, I've never been a fan of DiCaprio but I must say with the right director, the man can deliver a good performance. I believe the chemistry with Winslet also helped sell his performance as a man who promised himself more than he could deliver. He is afraid of failing and potentially admitting his own mediocrity while Winslet portrays a woman who is unable to reconcile the need to aspire for something more fulfilling for her existence with the stagnant compromises her husband keeps making for their own good.
Of course, this movie takes place in the 1950's and many will argue things are different today. However, I fear compromise between the genders in relationships will always be a challenge, no matter the period.
The cinematography, set designs, costumes, etc. are all well suited to the times and work flawlessly to integrate the characters in their environment rather than make it look 'stagey'. The clever use of sound/music definitely adds to the emotional turmoil that drives these people to do what they feel they must, and the end scene is no exception. That last scene alone filled me with deep sadness & hopelessness posing the question 'What's the point then?'
I used to think like The Beatles and all you needed was love. Now, I know they were just trying to sell records. Don't get me wrong though, I did like the film tremendously and although the film is hard to watch at times, the hardest things we do are the ones that are worth doing.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 184
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