Revolutionary Road (2008)

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers:

Justin Haythe (screenplay), Richard Yates (novel)

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 70 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Winslet	...	April Wheeler
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Frank Wheeler
Christopher Fitzgerald	...	Party Guest
Jonathan Roumie	...	Party Guest
Neal Bledsoe	...	Party Guest
Marin Ireland	...	Party Guest
Samantha Soule	...	Party Guest
Heidi Armbruster	...	Party Guest
Sam Rosen	...	Party Guest
Maria Rusolo	...	Party Dancer
Gena Oppenheim	...	Party Dancer
Kathryn Dunn	...	Party Dancer
Joe Komara	...	Party Dancer (as Joe Kamara)
Allison Twyford	...	Party Dancer
David Harbour	...	Shep Campbell

Storyline

It's 1955. Frank and April Wheeler, are in the 'seven year itch' of their marriage; they're not happy. April has forgone her dream of being an actress, and Frank hates his job. One day, April suggests they move to Paris as a means to rejuvenate their life.

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Plot Keywords:

unhappy love | abortion | beach | shower | bare chested male | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

In between filming the scene of Frank and April having breakfast together, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were eating chocolate. Upon tasting a strong flavour, DiCaprio spat out his chocolate, spraying his face, costume and white tablecloth. The incident caused DiCaprio and Winslet to be in hysterics, unable to start a scene or look each other in the eye without laughing. After an hour, Sam Mendes stormed outside and demanded the two of them to sort themselves out. The scene was ultimately shot by having DiCaprio sit eight inches to the right with a piece of tape in his normal position for Winslet's reference, and DiCaprio would stare at Winslet's earlobe in return.

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Goofs

The guitarist at the roadhouse plays a Gibson ES-335, which was introduced in 1958.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Frank Wheeler: So, what do you do?
April Wheeler: I'm studying to be an actress. You?
Frank Wheeler: I'm a longshoreman.
April Wheeler: No, I mean, really.
Frank Wheeler: I mean really, too. Although starting next Monday I'm doing something a little more glamorous.
April Wheeler: What's that?
Frank Wheeler: Night cashier at a cafeteria.
April Wheeler: I don't mean how you make money. I mean, what are you interested in?
Frank Wheeler: Honey, if I had the answer to that one, I bet I'd bore us both to death in half an hour.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Kristen Stewart/Michael Shannon/Cage the Elephant (2016)

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Soundtracks

Lemon Drop
Written by George Wallington
Performed by Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks (as Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks) featuring Duffy Jackson

User Reviews

Winslet And Dicaprio Wage War With One Another Every Second of the Way Through

Without the great presence of Dicaprio and Winslet this film would seriously be at the level of a TV movie. Revolutionary Road is a film that certainly will not cheer you up. It is about a husband and wife who make an attempt at escaping there their "empty and hopeless" life. Or at least they create the delusion that they will.

In this film Winslet and Dicaprio are at the top of their games. Their feelings toward each other are complex and deranged. Their bitterness towards each other seems to disappear as the movie wears on but it does not. They simply put the bitterness they feel for each other in the back of their mind thinking it will go away and it may have. But when one key event takes place in the movie their bitterness evolves into hatred. Instead of continuing to fight the lie of what people think it means to lead a good life, which is what drew them to each other in the first place, they start to accept that lie causing them to drift apart in so many ways. Dicaprio and Winslet are one of the few that are able to so perfectly illustrate complexities such as this in relationships and marriage. Michael Shannon plays a very interesting role of a man considered crazy yet is the only one who agrees with the "emptyness and hopelessness" of their lives. He plays well but I feel as if something is missing from his character.

The directing of Sam Mendes is good in that the film brings you back in time. Yet the movie did not rise to what it could have been because of the writing. The film did not open up enough to fully capture the audience. The film stayed one gear and never seemed to switch off it. The couple of Winslet and Dicaprio seemed to be happy at one point but we barely get a glimpse of that. If the movie had started off on that and then switched over to its false hope and then depressing tone it would have greatly succeeded. Instead the movie becomes overly depressing and cynical not living up to its potential.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Revolutionary Road

Filming Locations:

Beacon Falls, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$189,911, 28 December 2008

Gross USA:

$22,911,480

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$75,981,180

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, BBC Films, Evamere Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1