Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo [Click to enlarge]

The 1950s is remembered as a time when the "American Dream" was owning a home and returning after work to a warm meal and beamingly happy family waiting at the door to greet the head of the house. This typical American family was depicted in many television shows, like "Leave it to Beaver" and "The Donna Reed Show," but was any of it realistic? "Revolutionary Road" presents the possible outcome of a couple who goes against the grain by wanting to break the rules of the traditional 1950s picture-perfect family.

Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) becomes a victim of love at first sight after noticing a different kind of woman in the midst of a sea of cookie-cutter, Donna Reed-wannabes at a party. During the first awkwardly adorable conversation, Frank learns that this atypical woman, April (Kate Winslet), is studying to be an actress. Frank and April seem like a perfect match - they both have big dreams for the future and share a common dislike for the conventionalities expected of them. However, after seven years of marriage, the Wheelers find themselves trapped in the life they so desperately wanted to avoid.

After failed attempts at becoming an actress, April decides to give up her dream and submit to the role of full-time housewife to take care of their two children. Meanwhile, Frank joins the sea of look-alike office workers in their tweed suits and hats, mindlessly marching between Grand Central Station and whatever prison-like company they work for. Frank hates his job at Knox, a business that makes machine parts, which is ironic because the past seven years have reduced Frank to a robot-like existence. His only solace in a life of dull repetition is found in the intimate company of a female secretary who helps Frank forget about his misery for at least a few minutes.

April is definitely more spirited than her spouse. She knows their life has become exactly what she always hated and tried to avoid - typical. Playing the part of the perfect housewife takes such a toll on April that she cannot even muster anger, or any emotion, when Frank admits his affair. Her only response is to tell Frank to be with whoever he wants.

The Wheelers' life had turned into a gilded façade that looked like something straight out of "Better Homes and Gardens," depicting young, attractive couple in which the husband serves as the proud breadwinner while the wife happily takes care of their two children and picturesque home that stands on the top of a perfectly green lawn.

Underneath this seemingly perfect life, a time bomb was about to explode and reveal the Wheelers' unhappiness.

One day, April proposes a plan she thinks would solve their discontentment. Her plan is to uproot their family and move to Paris, where Frank had been during the war and fallen in love with the "City of Lights." April would find a job to support her family, while Frank stayed home and figured out his true passion. Of course, everyone they know finds the plan ridiculous and can't possibly imagine what the Wheelers have to complain about. The bafflement from others only adds to the Wheelers' excitement about leaving for Paris.

The snub that Winslet and DiCaprio received from the Oscar Academy is astonishing. They share a unique chemistry that is riveting to witness. Both characters engage in activities that could easily turn an audience against them, but both performances remain so touching, even in their darkest moments, that you can't help but root for them. The film does contain one performance that was not overlooked by the Academy.

Michael Shannon's character is the son of the real estate agent who found the Wheelers' house on "Revolutionary Road." John Givings is on leave from a mental institution when he joins his parents for a meal at the Wheelers'. When Frank and April announce their plan, Givings insults it by offering a blunt opinion of why they are really leaving. Shannon's depiction of a man who simply speaks his mind, which apparently in the 1950s warrants a bed in a loony bin, is remarkable.

"Revolutionary Road" is a gripping film with memorable performances, even if they weren't all given Oscar nominations. Director Sam Mendes does a spectacular job with this critical view of suburban family life in the 1950s, which is not at all surprising considering his triumph with "American Beauty." This film, like "American Beauty," is not a feel-good, popcorn flick. It is a close examination of the trials and tribulations of normal people living in an intolerant time. "Revolutionary Road" is a visually and thematically compelling film about a forward-thinking couple trapped in a time in which people were expected to appear happy and obey certain rules.

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