Iffy for 16+
Intense adult drama shocks but doesn't awe.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this 1950s-set adult drama deals with themes that are probably too intense for younger teens. It explores a marriage on the brink of destruction, which can be painful to watch, and tackles subjects like infidelity, gender roles, abortion, and mental illness. The main characters fight constantly in long, drawn-out scenes and seem unaware of the effect their conflict is having on their children. There's also some nudity (bared breasts) and sex, as well as language, drinking, and era-accurate smoking.
- Families can talk about how the main characters' relationship/interactions make teens feel. What kind of parents were they? How do you think children are affected by a relationship like April and Frank's? Also, how does the era in which the story is set shape it? What were the 1950s and 1960s like for men and women? Were gender roles limited? Why did April and Frank -- and scores like them -- try to adapt? How did they try to retain their individuality? Were they successful?
The good stuff
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Messages: A husband and wife tear each other apart verbally and emotionally. They mean well but are hobbled by personal dissatisfaction, an inability to communicate, and predefined gender roles. They seem unaware of the effects of their relationship on their children and fight bitterly, loudly, and somewhat physically. Friends and neighbors care about them but can't seem to help but judge their decisions. Couples are unfaithful and betray the people close to them. Communities try to unify over a shared activity but fail. A woman contemplates terminating a pregnancy.
What to watch for
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Violence: A couple continually indulges in long, loud, drawn-out fights that lead to them either stalking off or challenging the other to hit them. Plenty of tears and insults.
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Sex: A woman's breasts are bared in a scene in which she's trying to appear casual after sleeping with a married man. A married couple has sex on the kitchen counter (no nudity); another couple, not married to each other, has sex in a car (lots of noises and movement, but again, no nudity). Many conversations about trysting.
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Language: Runs the gamut, from the milder "damn" to "bulls--t" and "f--k."
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Consumerism: Not an issue
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters smoke constantly (accurate for the era) and drink socially. Beer is consumed, but there seems to be a preference for hard liquor. Characters get drunk and cheat on their spouses.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD - on the highway to greatness! GRADE: A-PLUS by MOVIES REVIEWER
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the advance press screening of this EXCELLENTLY made/acted 2-hr mid-50s period movie starring Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kathy Bates.
Excellent screenplay by Justin Haythe based on Richard Yates' 1961 novel, wonderful direction by Sam Mendes, mood-setting cinematography by Roger Deakins, and impeccably edited by Tariq Anwar, STUPENDOUS emotionally-stirring NATURAL award-winning acting by the gifted TALENTED ensemble.
The movie captured the 50s perfectly - costumes, furniture, furnishings, hairstyles, vehicles, etc. SUPERB attention to details. The palette is truly 50s.
Major themes - advent of women's lib./independence/role-consciousness, women's reproductive choice, role expectations, sanctity of marriage, fidelity, love/lust, conformity to societal norms and their subsequent breakdowns, importance of family, etc.
VERDICT:
A Must-See for the serious movie-goer.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Not appropriate for kids/children.
4
Revolutionary Road by millerjosh
Intense movie with great acting. Couple funny twists in an otherwise serious drama.
4
Book is sweeter by sesabebop
The movie adaption did not do this story any justice. That said, the movie was very good and the actors were wonderful. I just didn't feel that it translated onto the screen very well....even though they decided to use much of the dialogue verbatim. The main character, Frank, played by Dicaprio was so much more complicated in the book which unless they had decided to use narration would have been diffcult to transmit into the medium of film. However, in my opinion, other characters were perfectly cast including Shep and Milly and John Givings. It's a movie worth seeing for sure....but it was a bit awkward at times and it makes the Frank character seem shallow and the April character as simply a crazy brooding housewife...and she was more complex than that in the book as well. The movie is worth seeing, but the book is incredible.
5
Speechless. by Daydream
Revolutionary Road left me speechless. This movie demonstrates acting at its finest. Kate Winslet, Leonardo Dicaprio, and Michael Shannon draw you into their Oscar worthy performances. We have to LIVE instead existing with "hopeless emptiness". Hope is a powerful tool, now all we need is the effort. All I can say is WOW!
5
A dark masterpiece by suzan_with_a_z
In quality of script, cinematography, acting, direction and music, this film is as good as it gets. But be warned: don't go see it when you're feeling depressed. It tells the story of a young couple trying to make their marriage work within the straight-jacket of 1950s American middle-class expectations. It is to the corporate world of that time what "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is to academia. It is a sad commentary on the Oscars that this film wasn't even nominated for Best Picture. I'm glad Kate Winslet won Best Actress, but IMO it should have been for her performance in "Revolutionary Road".
4
Revolutionary Performances by PrinceAndTheRevolution
Revolutionary Road is a very thought-provoking and deep film about the perceptions of marriage, happiness and self-sacrifice. The film causes much debate afterward about how individuals may sacrfice their dreams for money, for fear of being alone or for love. The film is definitely not for your average movie-goer, but for individuals who are open-minded and want to be intellectually-engaged. I, unfortunately, saw the movie with an audience who clearly did not get the themes of the movie and laughed during many of the most intense scenes. The acting is excellent and moving, especially Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. I admire their decision to make such a compelling and complex drama rather than a romance, as many would have expected given their Titanic past. It is an excellent film definitely worth seeing.
5
Recreating the Glory Days of the Broadway Theater by Dunham16
Although a first-run motion picture, the style recreates the glory days of Broadway
drama with two leading characters and a small supporting case consisting of
the family of the particular realtor who sold the lead couple the suburban house and
another young neighborhood couple with whom the lead couple soclizes while in town. The
decades drop away as the audience is reliving the days of a seven character
drama which is spellbinding and always relevant.
Arrow
marvelolus
5
Incredible talent,especially Kate Winslet and Michael Shannon by lovestalentmoviefan
Wow. It took a tremendous amount of comprehension and dedication to transfer this story from paper to the screen. I am extremely impressed. Can't even adequately review this film. You will love it if you listen to things that aren't said,if you're empathetic and appreciate the human condition. Although i personally disagree with almost all of this couples decisions and actions, i can see how all of us can fall so easily into mistakes,lamenting missed opportunities and regret. You just want to fix everything for the Wheelers,tell them what to do or say....or else look at your own life and hope to have foresight and the ability learn from mistakes and mostly APPRECIATE AND USE WHAT WE DO HAVE..
Guess i have a tendency to ramble about movies that impress me so much. If you are a thinker and dont need formulaic plot and R rated excitement, i think you will love this work
5
Revolutionary Road by Lulusboos
The movie is excellent, but very dark and heavy. If you aren't that type of person you won't get it. I went with a younger co-worker and she didn't understand the movie. Essentially, it's about people married or unmarried who find themselves in a life they never wanted....kids, suburbia, housewife, boring jobs. When they met they had some spirit and dreams. It basically makes you examine your own life. Very sad at times, but realistic.
4
Revolutionary Road by sunnyforever
Some will not like this period piece of two fictional characters from the 1950?s. They live on Revolutionary road and have revolutionary ideas which they try to implement in a revolutionary way. The beginning is long and drawn out with funny camera angles and no background music. The plot relies solely on the characters played with brilliance by Kate Winslett and played with great intensity by Leo DiCaprio.
Then it hit me as I was about to walk out of the theatre. The director Mendes was trying to give it the true feel of a 1950?s movie. He so captured that genre. It made me think of that Black and White movie about strangers on an elevator train. No background music, straight on camera angles, no frills, just act.I began to really like this movie.
While it may get all the professional acclaim, many may not like the feel of this movie. However, the story is engaging, the acting is very intense, and the directing is superb. Watch for many cast members from the Titanic.