Buy the DVD for someone you hate.

Rating: 2/10 (5 February 2009)

Wow. What a depressing, worthless film. Marc and I went to see this last night - I only hope that he can forgive me for suggesting it. What people say is partly true: Kate Winslet's performance allows her to show her range as the trapped, middle class suburban housewife - she is convincing and at times bold. Michael Shannon is Oscar nominated for his role as a mentally ill neighbour who is the only one willing to speak what everybody else is thinking - his key scene is hilarious and horrific.
The cinematography and period detail are beautiful and James Newton's score is affecting - particularly in a scene where Winslet grasps the last moments of light against the back garden tree, while, after their biggest bust up yet, Leo DiCaprio wanders around in the darkness of the house on Revolutionary Road - the house that typified everything 'perfect' about their life.
As just about every critic ever has noted, the concept is not original; David Lynch blew it apart in 'Blue Velvet' and 'Twin Peaks' and surely after 3 seasons of Desperate Housewives, it's no longer an alien concept. As Kermode notes Todd Haynes' 'Far From Heaven' takes this initial premise in a far more interesting and brave direction, a beautiful film that I would watch 20 times before I ever set eyes on Revolutionary Road again. Bearing in mind that RR comes from Sam Mendes, who delved with insight and originally into this same white-picket lie with American Beauty ten years ago, it's even more disappointing to watch this film that adds nothing to our understanding.
I haven't even got to what's bad about it yet; the sheer hopelessness of the script, the clichéd dialogue, its torturous length, the bizarre sidelining of the kids or the moral corruption unbalanced without any sense of regret, repentance or redemption. Most of all, we both came out of the cinema with the same key observation: none of the characters were likable. Nothing about them was endearing, upright, selfless, loving, hopeful or genuine. Summed up, RR was over 2 hours of hateful, self-deceived people wrapped up in their purposeless, spiralling lives. Maybe that was the point?
On a personal note, it confirmed to me that I really do dislike DiCaprio as an actor - only his performance in The Departed approached bearable. The only thing revolutionary about this film is what a tragic waste of time and talent it is, bringing absolutely nothing of worth into the world. I'd rather lose a limb than watch this again. Not only the most bitter, unfathomable film I've seen in the past 12 months but probably ever. Buy the DVD for someone you really hate.