Revolutionary Road

Sam Mendes is boring again. The emotions are quite strong, the actors are convincing, but it lacks rawness. All scenes and their sequence are precisely lined up and played perfectly, but there isn't a single bit of improvisation or authenticity. Everything is polished exactly “like in a movie”, and it doesn’t look like a realistic drama. This is what a film that wants to collect all the non-technical Oscars looks like. I like the message and what it addresses, but I don't like how the director delivers it. It could have been even better. (28/06/2009)

If you commute every day to a job you don't enjoy, if you feel that life is monotonously flowing through your fingers, if you think that – in the words of one of the characters – you are just running away from the hopeless emptiness your life, and if you are gathering the courage to finally do something about it, then this film will sweep you away inside. An emotional blast that is much closer to American Beauty than it appears at first glance, thanks to the dilemmas that the main characters in both films have to deal with (though their motivations are different). And the human relationships, which escalate with incredible force throughout the film, choke you like a noose around your neck. A film that in terms of emotion and depth leaves all the relationship dramas of a few years back in the dust. In my opinion, Mendes’s best film. (31/12/2008)

Revolutionary Road deals with the same topic as The War of the Roses, which is comedic in tone. It is about the destruction of a marriage mainly caused by the fact that the emancipated wife had greater ambitions than just being a household decoration. The War of the Roses is full of audience-friendly black humor, while Revolutionary Road presents a burdensome chamber drama that can hardly win any sympathy. The story is set in the golden age of American masculinity, framed by the end of World War II and the mid-60s when male social dominance was dismantled under the pressure of women's emancipation, higher education for women, and a cultural transformation characterized by overall liberalization, the rise of beatniks, and the hippie movement. The final blow was dealt by changes in the economy - the oil crisis, rising commodity prices, and competition from third-world countries made it impossible to continue a society composed of families that comfortably managed with only one income. Today, only a very limited sample of society can afford to have a stay-at-home wife. However, it worked perfectly during that happy twenty-year period. Prices concerning incomes allowed the middle class to afford the single breadwinner family model, the economy was growing, and getting a mortgage was possible without worries. Many American retirees still fondly remember that idyllic (and idealized) image. Revolutionary Road shows the dark side of this type of American dream, where the husband pursues a career while the wife goes to the sink to wash dishes and prepare lunch. The chemistry between the main characters is excellent and the story sticks to the main idea without ornamental flourishes like in American Beauty, which I appreciate. Overall impression: 95%. (11/02/2013)

The prolog to the War of the Roses wrapped up in a nice little package destined for express delivery to the Academy. Simply family drama of the likes of In the Bedroom. If it weren’t for the last half hour when they are playing a little too hard on that “Oscars for everybody" string too obviously, I would give it full marks. Mendes’ directing reminisces about his theatrical beginnings and Deakins’ camera holds back sensitively this time. He leaves almost everything to the actors and the realistic nature of problems like “and what now with an empty life...". And that’s good. But despite everything, this is Mendes’ weakest movie yet. On the other hand, bring on more “weak" movies like this. (29/12/2008)

Mendes can prescribe medication to all relationship optimists, but this time I received a really bitter one from him. Haythe's script cuts into everything that a person can fear in marriage without hesitation and evokes a slight despair, far surpassing the usual "relationship enlightening" attempts with its expressive value. However, the one who poured this understanding into my head is mainly Leonardo DiCaprio, who doesn't even seem to act out his despair and every more intense moment is a fascinating concert in his portrayal. The only thing I criticize is the character of mentally ill John, who always aptly names everything in an outrageously hurtful way. Such a person would easily be thrown out of the door after just two sentences, even with his considerate parents. Due to the character being too purposeful, I won't reach the highest rating in the end, but the story of Revolutionary Road will stay with me forever. After such an anti-gravitational yet absolute ending, it cannot be otherwise. (01/02/2010)