Revolutionary Road

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Plot:   Revolutionary Road is about a couple (Leonardo DiCapri and Kate Winslet) who get married, have kids, move to the suburbs, and feel "hopeless emptiness." They toy with moving to Paris, and in the end they crash under the weight of societal pressure and their own foibles. There is an insane neighborhood man (Michael Shannon) who enters the story and unburies the truth of their lives.

Review: The couple, who felt young and special, find themselves middle-aged and wonder "What happened?" The movie draws this theme out so well. The trip to Europe is the symbol of a new life, and when (MAJOR SPOILER) they don't go, their hopeless empty life eventually kills them. Kate and Leo have wonderful dialogues -- well acted and well written. The scenes with Michael Shannon are delightful. 

I can understand why the movie ended the way that it did. I would have liked some clever twist -- the movie ended predictably and with a political morale that didn't belong. Two-thirds of this movie were great, but the end dropped the ball. It did not need a happy ending, but it could have been smarter.

Extended Review:  The movie deals with meaty ideas about the meaning of life, and many young people deal with these issues. I can remember feeling that way. It is similar to the way I felt when I was getting out of high school. I felt like everything is possible -- isn't that the American Way to be. At some point we lose our idealism, and this movie probes that. It is not unlike Vicky, Christina, Barcelona, in that movie, two women have already gone to Europe and they wrestle with idealism -- staying in Europe or married realism.

Cast and crew:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon; directed by Sam Mendes

Rating
3.5
1/2

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"Most people know the emptiness, it takes real guts to see the hopelessness."