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

Some scenes in the U.S. and International trailer were not included in the final cut of the movie, such as the scene of Frank's "Nothing's forever, right?" line and the scene with Helen showing the Wheelers their soon-to-be home.

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Goofs

After John Givings' tirade to April and Frank Wheeler, Frank angrily walks from the dinner table to the opposite corner of the room. In the next shot, he is standing in the corner diagonally across of the room, sipping his drink.

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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 Culture Show: Sam Mendes: Licence to Thrill - A Culture Show Special (2012)

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Soundtracks

Easy Listenin' Blues
Written by Nadine Robinson
Performed by The King Cole Trio
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Book 10/10 - Film 8/10

I went to see this at an advanced screener in Leicester Square last night. Kate Winslett chatted about the film on stage afterward. I went as one of those people who'd read the book and consider that source material to be amongst the best literature I'd ever read. I was wondering if and how the film could match up. My prior concerns were about how accurate the film would be. Well, there's nothing to worry about there. Mendes has created a near carbon copy of the book, the locations, characters and scenes are all exactly as I 'saw' them on the page. Nothing (as far as I could tell) is portrayed out of order, no extra characters are introduced, and no primary characters are dropped or altered. The acting is 100% perfect. The mies-en-scene is perfect. Absolutely nothing could or should have been done differently. So why not 10/10? The problem lies in the fact that Yates' novel is a literary one, much of the essence of the experience of the story is realized by Yates with just the right turn of phrase or choice of word. How does a director set about depicting or capturing this visually? I don't think he really can, he needs to use cinematic tricks and devices to inject resonance, the same resonance Yates achieves with that turn of phrase. But in being so (probably rightly) concerned about being true to the source material, the film somehow comes up a little flat as a film going experience, a sort of American Beauty without the crucial stylistic bells and whistles. Kate Winslett said afterward that (interestingly) it was she who had brought the book and the project to her husband, not vice versa and that it took some consideration for Sam Mendes to convince himself that he hadn't already told this story before, and by the final credits, I too was thinking just that, it felt like I'd watched a prequel to American Beauty, but without the pizazz and the rapture and the delight. So, the book, 10/10, the film, 8/10.

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