We Can Be Happy Here

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2008)

Sam Mendes who likes to accompany his movies with the simple yet soul-searching tunes of the piano by composer Thomas Newman has come up with another heavy emotional drama that brings out the best in each of the actors involved. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD gives the utopia 1950's suburbs its dark and hopeless mode, a trap of all things ordinary. It may not be a feel-good movie but it has a certain fine art to it.
I don't believe there's such thing as a perfect marriage but I've never seen such a dysfunctional marriage as messed up as portrayed in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD either. The story based on Richard Yates' novel is a bit twisted, in my humble opinion. Having said that, I think Sam Mendes does an magnificent job at directing, and just like American Beauty, he once again successfully uses the small spaces of the kitchen or the living room and turn them into a war zone or a battleground between a couple whose love for each other has grown cold. I'm not sure what attracts him to these kinds of stories and characters but it seems like Sam Mendes has found his specialty. Once again, Sam Mendes' go-to guy for original score and music selection, Thomas Newman doesn't disappoint, he picks the sound of the 50s that fit into every scene, emphasizing piano as the lead instrument, especially the silence between the notes capturing the state of mind of the characters when they re-think what just happened and think about what they're about to do.
Leonardo DiCaprio will floor you with his explosive, raw performance as Frank Wheeler, the husband who for some reason is too afraid to leave his comfort zone, he lets people's talk to mess with his judgment, he's too proud to make any drastic change. Kate Winslet who is attractive and marvelous in every movie she's in, radiates greatness as the wife, April Wheeler, who can't stand living an ordinary life anymore but is sick and tired of not being able to get Frank to buy into the idea of moving away for a better life in Paris. Frustrated and angry, she's a tough cookie that finally reaches her limits. Michael Shannon who plays John Givings, a man fresh out of the psychiatric hospital, does an excellent job as the unlikely voice of reason. In a mad, psychotic, unconventional way, he serves a harsh shrink to the couple who may not want to hear what he has to say but somehow they know that his opinions are true, his words are insensitive and hurt like hell but they're true, every single word. Shannon has always been good at playing a character who seems like he's lost a screw in his head, another actor I can think of who's also really good at that kind of role is Gary Oldman and young Jack Nicholson years ago.
This is not just a movie for married couple, this is for those who have the misunderstanding mentality saying that once you've settled down, that is it, You can only build your idea of happiness around that one enclosed environment and anything beyond that would be considered unrealistic and immature. This is a movie for those who are cowards and can't seem to take chances in life other than what's given to them in the most usual setting. This is a movie for those who have forgotten that being in relationship means being able to make big leaps with your loved one based on faith and love. You are not going to get mushy happy feeling after watching this movie, some of you might come out feeling a bit empty and depressed but I hope this story reminds you that your happiness is what you make of it, and not some norms that the world requires you to follow.