A movie for people who love watching people argue.

Rating: 5/10 (9 June 2009)

Let's get this out in the open: Sam Mendes' American Beauty is an absolute masterpiece. This is the sole fact that led me to set aside time for this film even though I heard nothing but bad things about it.
Revolutionary Road isn't a bad film at all, but it is inherently pointless and depressing. If you consider those negative film traits, you probably won't enjoy this too much.
You're probably going to hear that the acting on display is superb, but one would suspect that most people only say that because Leo DiCap and Katie Win are SUPPOSED to be great actors, therefore everything they do must be fantastic. They're not bad here by any means, but nothing in this film rivals the output of your local theater troupe. This isn't really LeoKat's fault; they're given very little to work with here.
We don't need to recount the plot here... You already know that this movie is about an unhappy couple. What's really missing is any source for their unhappiness. Without basic character motivation, it's hard to get too invested in their squabbles, and since all LnK do here is fight, that leaves the viewer wondering a bit why we're seeing what we are. The meager hints of the couple's malaise involve general dissatisfaction with their stations in life, which hardly seem enough to spark the two-hour cheating and screaming fest that unfolds here.
It doesn't help that Leonardo DiCaprio still looks like he's 12 years old. Not the dude's fault, and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but it's just rather strange to absorb the image of this man-of-the-house world-weary soul when said soul looks like a Junior High school lad trying on his dad's suit.
The ending is particularly perplexing, as the focus shifts to secondary characters we didn't get to know well enough to care about. There is some minor symbolism at play in the fleeting moments, but nothing that leaves the viewer with any sense of reward for their two-hour journey.
This film is best recommended for fans of LeWin who salivate at the prospect of these two gifted actors yelling at each other for transgressions ranging from infidelity to mediocre acting. This is not another slag at the stars' performances; the first argument we see in this film is indeed about KateSlett not being a good actress.
Where the catharsis comes into play here, I'm not sure. I'll concede that it's possible I missed the point somehow, but I think it's equally likely that Mendes truly thought that putting the pair who led Titanic on the screen together again was enough, and that he didn't need to make them interesting, or even likable, for us to follow them through another masterful study of failed human relationships.
KatLeo's characters in this film are miserable excuses for human beings, and whatever they get they kind of deserve. Since this film is ostensibly meant to make us sympathize with the tragedy of their crumbling union, Revolutionary Road is pretty much a failure out of the gate.
The two hours you'll spend here could be better spent watching American Beauty again instead. The asphalt here is nice and shiny, but this Road doesn't lead anywhere.