MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Revolutionary Road Rated R

Directed by Sam Mendes.  Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet

Photo © Paramount Vantage
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

Richard Yates’ novel – the basis for this film – was first published in 1961 and is considered a masterpiece of American literature.  It depicts the unhappy marriage of Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) Wheeler, a young couple who enjoy the success of upper-middle-class suburban life without much joy. 

In the very first scene, we observe a mean-spirited argument in which Frank tears April apart for appearing in a second-rate community theater production.  At this point, I lost sympathy for Frank and, although I felt his pain, I never developed much caring about the Wheelers’ marital strife.

There is little back-story to this tragedy, and the film suffers for it.  There were better films about the Fifties made in that decade (including 1956’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit) that understood the ethical questions of the time.

The performances are uniformly good, with Kate Winslet’s doomed April the heart of the story.  The production design and art direction are stunning, and even the actors cast in supporting roles subtly radiate mediocrity – the men all seem to have a generic sameness in their facial features.  Director Mendes’ first film was 1999’s American Beauty, which spoke of suburban emptiness in the Nineties (its satirical edge offset its sad story), and it was a visually stunning film, as well. 

But you can only push style over substance so far, and it’s obvious that Revolutionary Road, due to the limitations of the film medium,was forced to deal with only the surface sheen of Yates’ dark story.  This is a masterful film, but it’s not a great movie.  And yet, it may get you thinking about your life, your marriage,  your job, and the things that bring you happiness and joy.  God is absent from the Wheeler’s life, and there’s nothing else that can fill that God-shaped space. 

Pitchfork Rating: Two halos (The emptiness of upward mobility in the Fifties, featuring a tragic couple caught in a downward spiral.)
Four pitchforks (Swearing, nudity, casual adultery, verbal abuse, drinking and smoking, and other moral missteps.)

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