Revolutionary Road

Mendes can prescribe medication to all relationship optimists, but this time I received a really bitter one from him. Haythe's script cuts into everything that a person can fear in marriage without hesitation and evokes a slight despair, far surpassing the usual "relationship enlightening" attempts with its expressive value. However, the one who poured this understanding into my head is mainly Leonardo DiCaprio, who doesn't even seem to act out his despair and every more intense moment is a fascinating concert in his portrayal. The only thing I criticize is the character of mentally ill John, who always aptly names everything in an outrageously hurtful way. Such a person would easily be thrown out of the door after just two sentences, even with his considerate parents. Due to the character being too purposeful, I won't reach the highest rating in the end, but the story of Revolutionary Road will stay with me forever. After such an anti-gravitational yet absolute ending, it cannot be otherwise. (02/01/2010)

Sam Mendes is boring again. The emotions are quite strong, the actors are convincing, but it lacks rawness. All scenes and their sequence are precisely lined up and played perfectly, but there isn't a single bit of improvisation or authenticity. Everything is polished exactly “like in a movie”, and it doesn’t look like a realistic drama. This is what a film that wants to collect all the non-technical Oscars looks like. I like the message and what it addresses, but I don't like how the director delivers it. It could have been even better. (06/28/2009)

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio should at least get an Oscar nomination for this, that’s for sure. Revolutionary Road it’s not the type of drama that wants to demolish you in the end, the emotions it conveys are not that intense that everyone will feel them, but those who do will be left with a low-key but deep feeling of bitter melancholy for a long time, which for me it’s a lot more impressive than a straightforward emotional explosion. I’d say that Revolutionary Road owes most of its quality to the perfectly chosen soundtrack. IMHO, if the ending had a different score, the entire impression of the film would be different (and, more importantly, much easier to grasp for most of the audience). Personally, it suits me the way it is now. 95% (12/29/2008)

The prolog to the War of the Roses wrapped up in a nice little package destined for express delivery to the Academy. Simply family drama of the likes of In the Bedroom. If it weren’t for the last half hour when they are playing a little too hard on that “Oscars for everybody" string too obviously, I would give it full marks. Mendes’ directing reminisces about his theatrical beginnings and Deakins’ camera holds back sensitively this time. He leaves almost everything to the actors and the realistic nature of problems like “and what now with an empty life...". And that’s good. But despite everything, this is Mendes’ weakest movie yet. On the other hand, bring on more “weak" movies like this. (12/29/2008)

If you commute every day to a job you don't enjoy, if you feel that life is monotonously flowing through your fingers, if you think that – in the words of one of the characters – you are just running away from the hopeless emptiness your life, and if you are gathering the courage to finally do something about it, then this film will sweep you away inside. An emotional blast that is much closer to American Beauty than it appears at first glance, thanks to the dilemmas that the main characters in both films have to deal with (though their motivations are different). And the human relationships, which escalate with incredible force throughout the film, choke you like a noose around your neck. A film that in terms of emotion and depth leaves all the relationship dramas of a few years back in the dust. In my opinion, Mendes’s best film. (12/31/2008)