| Overall Grade: |
A+ |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A+ |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Revolution on the Carrousel
by Jim B (movies profile)
Dec 25, 2008
32
of
42 people found this review helpful
When drawing: To accurately delineate an object draw the surrounding space. In this film beginning with the secondary characters delivering connected performances of subtlety and perfection you really get to know the main characters of April Wheeler (Kate Winslet) and Frank Wheeler (Leonardo Di Caprio) and their disappointments’.
Director Sam Mendes makes his bid for all around recognition with Revolutionary Road. There is no emotional stone unturned, and there is no lack of emotion in the inner lives of the characters played in this film. Revolutionary Road is the absolute in the art of editing, camera work, acting, directing actors and story telling. Mendes takes American cliché and gives them life. Never cheating us in the observation of the obvious, he keeps us, the voyeur, satisfied. We become emotionally connected, and for some, it is the chance to relish the dark side, that unmistakable urge to jab a knife into our sore spot and twist it for that short lived and loved masochistic exaltation.
The main stars dig deep to tell their tale to each other, from April’s love of life, her family and need for adventure to loathe for life where she completely shuts down becoming Stepford like in her daily routine; and Frank’s desire to be big man on campus intrinsically, punishing in his introversion, shedding his skin becoming the serpent he was hatched to be. These two deliver performances the way only the best can, with direct and peripheral knowledge of each other and their behavioral choices in their situation. It is as though they’ve lived these lives. However they are not the only well articulated performances in the film. The entire cast reaches for their best and deliver, most notably is that of Michael Shannon (John Givings, the crazy guy) who sends this film into a tizzy with his honesty, David Harbour (Shep Campbell), Kathryn Hahn (Milly Campbell) the Wheelers jealous and adoring neighbors, and bolt of lightning Zoë Kazan (Secretary). They all shine. Leonardo Di Caprio has taken that all important step into maturity with this performance along side Kate Winslet who shows she is the heir apparent to great Helen Mirren.
Richard Yates novel adapted well for screen by Justin Haythe is a searing look at life and a lifestyle in suburban CT. This place where dreams and hopes are rooted in happy little homes bringing up the next generation of fit and normal lives to be lived. (A view the great novelist-short story writer John Cheever wrote about to a great extent. ) In every home there is a darkened corner that is with great skill ignored by all those who reside there. It is those who openly view that dark corner that will be the ones who have found trouble. It’s not the world you perceive you live in but the one defined by your milieu that gives you your place and standing. It’s part of the American enchantment, to belong, to be part of a group, to be respected because you fit tightly to an ideal where nominal revelations and expectations are a match. For an individual as well as the family to look good physically, stylish, and kempt while staying connected to the community is the brass ring. It’s the acting upon those pangs of individuality that force us into an orbit away from the common expected where you may not survive.
There are no chase scenes, gun fights, nifty computer generated backgrounds, or super sex scenes in this film; they are no match for a story where the raw power and gripping duels of ordinary lives struggling to survive the rules of suburban living are played. |
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