happiness is a choice

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2009)

Director Sam Mendes, revisits the tedium of adult life in a way reminiscent of his other movie "American Beauty."
Set in the 1950's suburbia, Frank (Leo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) meet at a bar and instantly hit it off, they marry and acquire a modest house along revolutionary road. They seem to be a happy couple to the outside world but the lack of fulfillment from the ennui of adult life and their shattered personal dreams and aspirations slowly push their marriage into destruction. Forced to stick with a job he loathes and having difficulty comforting his wife after an unsuccessful stint as a stage actress, Frank starts an extra-marital affair with a co-worker. Kate for her part, starts to become irritable just looking after the house and their 2 children, and not being able to pursue her acting.
In an effort to get out of the stifling conformity of their austere married life, April asks Frank to leave everything behind and start a life in Paris (the only place worth living in, according to Frank) and finally "LIVE" the way they dreamed of before, not a care in the world, just enjoying a bit of their their individuality, their togetherness and their 2 children.
Everything is going according to plan and their trip is only a few weeks away, until an unexpected 3rd pregnancy stalls them, and to mess things further, Frank is now being offered a job promotion and a raise, with the 3rd baby on the way, the offer is a hundred times more attractive.
Frank thinks it's better to stay, Kate is devastated..
and down they go to the demise of their marriage...
***
This movie is not only tragic, it's almost depressing, the movie's no-holds-barred way of delivering its punches is so brutally honest it's scary. It's like a violent and repugnant defilement of something you have faith in-- married life.
Yet, it rings true, a conservative and by-the-mold married life is what most couples dream of. To marry, buy a house, have kids and have a job that pays well-- nevermind if the work sucks, so long as it supports the family it's OK. This has been ingrained far too long in society and an open challenge to stray from what is usual and common will be bereft of success, and will be met with skepticism---- at least that is what the movie is saying..
This movie therefore is too frank, and by definition almost always unappealing.. but there is wisdom in it, the wisdom that there is always an OPTION, that things can be done according to one's own standards and not society's.
It is hard, it could even be "fatal", but the most salient point of this movie is that--
"TRUE HAPPINESS" is always just one choice away,,..
***
I wouldn't really recommend this movie, because it's so devastating, but the leads are superb. DiCaprio's emotionally charged portrayal should have won him a golden globe, I can only assume that Mickey Rourke was UNBELIEVABLE in The Wrestler for him to get the golden globe instead of DiCaprio, and kudos to Winslet for winning 2 golden globes, one for her acting in this movie.