The Reel Critic

Author: Jason Gutierrez

MOVIE: Revolutionary Road
DIRECTOR: Sam Mendes
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet

Confession time. I haven't seen "Revolutionary Road" since I first saw it during the first week of February (thanks, Middlebury College, for letting students get first crack at those seats in Dana for the screening this past Sunday). Normally that would make it tough to review, but "Revolutionary Road" was one of the more striking, not to mention best, films released last year. It marks a return on several fronts. First, and most oft-noted, it is the return of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who reteam for the first time since "Titanic." It also marks the return of director Sam Mendes to suburbia, the setting where he first made his auspicious debut with 1999's "American Beauty." "Revolutionary Road," based on the 1961 novel by Richard Yates, tells the story of Frank and April Wheeler who, in the midst of a blissful romance, move to the suburbs. They tell themselves the move is only temporary, but soon find they are trapped in their marriage, job (in his case), housework (in hers) and suburbs. They find themselves yearning for an escape from the slow descent into middle-aged mediocrity. "A man only gets a few chances in life. It won't be long before he's sittin' around wondering how he got to be second rate," Frank's boss (played by the spectacular Jay O. Sanders) tells him over lunch. Soon affairs and promotions take the place of plans for liberation as the couple spirals even deeper into their suburban prison.

"Revolutionary Road" has in spades what was infuriatingly missing from almost every other film released in 2008: a simmering, quiet desperation and anger. There is a palpable sense, intentional or not, of rage at an America that places conformity and white-collar success as the pinnacle of working life. The film's style is cold, almost clinical in its analysis of this crumbling marriage. Mendes has moved far from "American Beauty," where his warm, forgiving style gave the audience shelter from the on-screen cynicism. Here, though, his detachment gives the audience no respite from the intense emotions on display. It doesn't give the actors any place to hide, either. Kate Winslet turns in an excellent performance, which is par for the course for her recently. Her performance, though, has the added benefit of pushing DiCaprio into territory where he has never been before. That awards weren't given to him by the barrelful is a travesty as he turns in, hands down, the best performance of the year. He puts on a smug fa