Suburban rot re-examined by Mendes; good to see Leo & Kate again

Rating: 7/10 (23 January 2009)

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2008) **1/2 Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates, Kathryn Hahn, David Harbour, Dylan Baker, Max Casella, Max Baker, Jay O. Sanders. Filmmaker Sam Mendes traipses once again onto the finely manicured lawns of American suburbia in this noble rot adaptation of the novel by Richard Yates  the stilted screenplay by Justin Haythe is largely to blame for the logy pacing  about a young married couple (Di Caprio & Winslet re-teaming 10 yrs. after TITANIC act as if it were only yesterday they were together they are so indelible an on screen coupling) circa 1950s who are both listless from complacency searching for something significant in their seemingly lackluster, meaningless existences. The biggest disappointment is the rather pedestrian direction by Mendes and the underlining of Everything. Has. Some. Significance. in its delivery. Ably acted, particularly Shannon in the film's true stand-out performance as a mentally unbalanced neighbor who speaks his mind damn the consequences. Too bad no one else felt that way in this production.