Good Adaptation of Richard Yates's Classic Novel

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2009)

When watching the trailers for this movie, I wondered why anyone would want to subject themselves to two hours of Leo & Kate yelling at each other. It seemed like the ultimate downer of a film, an uninterrupted stretch of "The Bickersons" on the silver screen. Why would an acclaimed Film Director like Sam Mendes and Hollywood luminaries Kate Winslett & Leonardo DiCaprio get behind this project?
"Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates is one of the great American novels of the 20th century. Published in 1961, it was hailed critically but it didn't do well commercially. It was a bit too grim in its outlook for the time. This is the first time it's been adapted to film. While the movie is faithful to the book, the novel is much more than just another story of suburban malaise. The movie doesn't go beneath the surface of the characters as the novel does. From watching the movie, we really don't know much about Frank & April Wheeler, other than that they are unhappy with their lives. The book goes into much greater depth. This is the film's major flaw. Like "The Great Gatsby", to which it's often compared, the plot and its characters are secondary to the lyricism of the prose. It's very hard to capture this type of literary masterpiece to the big screen. Case in point: Coppola's "The Great Gatsby" was a critical failure, despite a massive film budget, big name movie star talent, not to mention Coppola himself directing.
That being said, I thought DiCaprio was great as Frank Wheeler. He really nailed the role perfectly. While Kate good as April, she tended to overact a bit too much. I thought her crying scene toward the dramatic ending was a bit artificial (after she made breakfast for Frank and he left for work) and could have been more genuine. I'm not sure why Mendes didn't do a re-take. It must be tough directing your wife (Mendes is married to Winslett).
All in all, an excellent movie and by all means go see it. My advice would also be to read the book before seeing it. That's not to say one needs to read the book to appreciate the film, but it does help gain a better understanding of the characters and the story.