Not revolutionary but interesting adult drama

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2009)

I'm a fan of Sam Mendes' direction and his style in clear in this movie, which is one of the film's strong point. There are other strengths: the acting is good by just about everyone involved but especially Kate Winslet (who does a much better American accent than the usual grating attempt); the topic is interesting (marriage problems); and the treatment is mature. And there are some genuinely deep moments in the movie that any married couple will relate to. Mendes does suburban angst better than anyone in cinema but his theatrical roots show at times with the staged scenes and clunky dialogue.
DiCaprio just can't carry off heavy roles - he looks like a wee boy in a grown-up's suit. The film is based on a Sixties' book and inherits some of the sexism from that era (but not intentionally or ironically). And, at the end of it, it doesn't say a great deal... except that marriage is not the idealised perfection that romantic novels lead you to believe.
But for the acting, interesting topic, cinematography, music and atmosphere, it's well worth catching and markedly better than most movies. Watching this movie is time and money well spent.