I wish I could write an entire column filled only with the words, "You need to watch Revolutionary Road." But, since I owe you more than that, let me instead tell you why exactly you need to check out this movie.
When I first saw Revolutionary Road in the theater, I left thinking, "Okay, that was a good movie." But then I noticed that I couldn't stop thinking about it for days, and even weeks, later. It's one of those movies that is just so intense, so deep, so powerful, that it haunts you long after you've seen it.
And I say that in the best of ways. Revolutionary Road is about the "hopeless emptiness" that couples can feel. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Frank and April Wheeler, who, though they seem happy at first, end up disappointed with their lives. April is dissatisfied with being a housewife and Frank hates his marketing job. There are affairs, unwanted pregnancies and hopes of starting completely over and moving to Paris.
Revolutionary Road will make your heart hurt, but it will also make you think, which is the best part. It will make you reevaluate your life and figure out how to prevent the hopeless emptiness from happening to you.
Check out this exclusive clip from the DVD of director Sam Mendes (Kate Winslet's husband) and Leonardo DiCaprio giving some more insight into what Revolutionary Road is about:
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Though Kate Winslet received the most recognition for her role as April, Leonardo DiCaprio deserves the same, if not more, praise. And the two of them together is not only movie gold, but it proves how incredible they are as actors. Though they were successful together in Titanic, they're even more extraordinary when there's no big boat as the third character. Revolutionary Road is purely about raw emotions, and they exhibit them so realistically and with such great chemistry it's shocking that this was a dramatic, scripted film and not a documentary.
Now that Revolutionary Road is on DVD, you need to check it out. I watched it on DVD and loved it even more than the first time I saw it, which I didn't think was possible. And amazingly enough, the special features--mostly the featurette "The Making of Revolutionary Road"-- is almost as good as the movie itself.
So do yourself a favor and go watch Revolutionary Road... now!
-- Jacki Garfinkel
