Winslet & DiCaprio

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2009)

Sam Mendes' latest offering is, at long last, an adaptation of Richard Yates' book of the same name. I've heard a lot about his book (haven't read it) and would have thought that it merited a scramble for the production rights. Having seen the movie, I can't wait to read it. At a time when there seems to be a paucity for good scripts in Hollywood, a film about personal struggles and showcasing the monotony of daily life is a rarity. This has to be right up there with the best of the films on the 'American Dream', shown in its stagnation nevertheless. Reading up on the praise showered by contemporaries and critics alike on Yates' book, the magnitude of the task dawned upon me and anyone will acknowledge that it takes a team like this to do justice to the source material. It does, with some members of the cast walking away with the laurels, none more so than Kate Winslet.
To say that she stands at the apex of her profession, unchallenged, would not be stating too much. Her April Wheeler is passionate, constantly challenging the fabric of stillness that overhangs the setting and the one person in the film who harbors the founding thought of the United States – hope. Watching her during the silent moments of the film is an exercise in getting floored repeatedly. In an inspired piece of casting, Leonardo DiCaprio plays April's man Frank. Representative of men from a time when everybody craved a security blanket, here is an actor at the top of his craft and still getting better.
This film also completes a circle of sorts for the two. In the interim between Titanic (1997) and Revolutionary Road (2008), their careers have been fulfilling for the actors and fans alike. Together here, they make for immensely compelling viewing.
Michael Shannon as John Givings is the surprise package of the film and I couldn't help thinking of 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest', another quintessentially American film. In the sense that, if he's crazy, it's only because they say so. Also, it probably takes an out-of-the-box thinker to comprehend April and Frank's plans. Another performance worth treasuring for it doesn't get much of screen time.
Mendes brings his gift for ushering a sense of balance to proceedings and making it look natural. This may not turn out to be as memorable for him as American Beauty but the movie is all the better for it. Thomas Newman's score, the costumes by Albert Wolsky and the art direction by Debra Schutt and Kristi Zea add considerably to the film.
This one kept me awake for a while after the credits had rolled. This particular representation of the American Dream may not be relevant any more but the themes of conformity, loneliness and frustration hold true.