I had to finish reading Richard Yates’ classic 1961 novel to finally figure out why Revolutionary Road didn’t exactly bowl me over after seeing it in theaters. It was well acted, contained fantastic direction and for all intents and purposes it was a film for the ages. However, something just didn’t sit right. Something was missing. I had read 165 pages of the story before walking into the theater, but not wanting to rush the second half of the book I opted to leave it be and let the film speak for itself. The film spoke; I listened, but didn’t necessarily fall in love with what I heard. What is missing from Justin Haythe’s adaptation is the history of the story’s characters. There is an understanding to be reached for why each character in the story is where they are and in most cases it is not entirely evident as crucial pieces of each character’s lives seems to be missing.
Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) have made their home in the Connecticut suburbs on Revolutionary Road. Set in the mid-1950s the story revolves around the lives of the Wheelers and those they come into contact with. The young couple has entered a marriage based on necessity, not on love and it has finally caught up to them. Saddled with two children, Frank hardly recognizes their existence and April regrets the life they have caused her to lead. As a result the children are inconspicuously absent from many scenes in the film as they are either put to bed early or passed off to a neighbor for sitting.
Affairs, passive love from afar and a whimsical decision to move to Paris and start anew all play a role in this story of a love that never was and the destruction it can cause. It is all interesting, and audiences will find themselves agreeing with the viewpoint of both Frank and April, different as they may be, but the end result is sure to be shocking. Where the story loses its way is in the intriguing yet oddly hollow introduction to the Givings and Campbells, both of which bring life and substance to the story, but their overall involvement is never fully realized.
The stories of Helen and Howard Givings (Kathy Bates and Richard Easton), their institutionalized son (Michael Shannon) and Shep and Milly Campbell (David Harbour and Kathryn Hahn) all play a similar role in the lives of the Wheelers, but their motivations and a subtle taste of their past would have certainly benefit the story. There is more to be known about the Givings and the relationship with their son. Shep’s deep infatuation with April Wheeler is only hinted at before it becomes a much larger plot point. Of course, had these details been added it may fill in a few of the holes left open by the screenplay’s narrative, but it wouldn’t altogether make for a perfect film. Perhaps I am saying this is a book that can never be perfectly translated to the screen due to it’s literary excellence, which means you can only hope to tap into its influence and hope for the best.
This is not to discount the bright spots. Where this film truly shines is in its acting. Kate Winslet is once again great as April Wheeler, and while most any great actress could have pulled it off, that doesn’t take away from what she adds to the film. Michael Shannon turns in an Oscar-worthy piece of acting with a character ripe with opportunity for an actor to grab hold and take advantage and Kathy Bates is the perfect actress for the role of Helen Givings, the outwardly cheery real estate agent. However, this film belongs to Leonardo DiCaprio in a performance I believe is his best to date – even better than his Oscar-nominated turn in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator.
DiCaprio and director Sam Mendes use every inch of Leo’s face to bring Frank Wheeler to life. It is a role filled with a variety of emotions and the wide baby face it seems DiCaprio will never shed adds vulnerability to the character in ways Leo has no control over, but Mendes utilizes to its fullest extent. DiCaprio’s performance is revealing and far from flattering, but in all the right ways and he deserves recognition.
There is little room for improvement with Revolutionary Road even though I believe it is a film that could have benefit from a few establishing scenes much like the one portraying the first time Frank and April met. Shep’s infatuation with April would have been better served as would have the relationship between the Givings and their son, such as a visit to the hospital where he was staying. However, as it stands, Revolutionary Road is, at the very least, intriguing. I love the exploration of the two sides to the Wheelers’ story and the conversation it provokes. I want to see it again, and I may even enjoy it more a second time around, but then again I have the Yates novel serving as my own personal Cliff Notes as I don’t think this film exists as anything more than a passing interest on its own.
