FULL DISCLOSURE: I have a signed photo of Leonardo DiCaprio on my living room wall, and once tried to pay twelve thousand dollars to go for dinner with him. Not that this affects my judgement when it comes to his work. I am an impartial DiCaprio expert (Leologist?) and am fully prepared to criticize him if such a situation ever arises.
With that out of the way, I saw Revolutionary Road last weekend and would like to share a few completely unbiased thoughts on it:
The Film
Revolutionary Road is just like Titanic, only if the boat were a house in the suburbs, Jack and Rose were ten years older, named Frank and April, hated their lives, and said stuff to each other like “I loathe the sight of you” and “Fuck you, April! Fuck you and all your hateful, goddamn… (breaks chair against wall).”
It is a movie about the suffocation of modern life, a merciless condemnation of suburban sprawl, and a requiem for the spirit of adventure. Sounds heavy. And it is. But it’s also really, really good. Rev Road is one of the most polished films we’re likely to see this year - technically masterful, superbly acted and perfectly paced. Director Sam Mendes does a commendable job of keeping things from getting too dark, leaning heavily on the chemistry of his cast and the film’s revoltingly cheery surroundings. This is Mendes second movie about this type of thing, and while much sadder than American Beauty, it’s also much more realistic. I’m not one for flogging movies just because they "carry a message,” or because they “star Leonardo DiCaprio,” but this movie is about something every grown-up has/does thought/think about: how easy it is to end up living a life you didn’t want. A
The Leo
Rev Road at times feels like a two-hour shouting match (but in a good way, I swear), with each dust-up serving as an act-off between its two stars. And Leo consistently out-acts Kate Winslet, Golden Globe and all. He used to have an issue with angry scenes, coming off a bit whiny when he was supposed to be acting tough (see The Departed). Here he’s all business – screaming, stomping around, throwing shit – without a hint of the squeaky-voiced boyishness that gave him problems in the past. He is genuinely intimidating at times, yet holds the same focus in more nuanced scenes that has won him acclaim. It is his finest and most complete performance to date. Does he deserve an Oscar for it? Absolutely. Will he win one? We’ll get to that. A++
The Oscars
Aside from Man in the Iron Mask and arguably Gangs of New York, name one more shitty Leo movie. You can’t. He is the most talented actor of his generation, period. And yet after three nominations, with a fourth to come for Rev Road, he has nothing to show for it. He’ll lose to Mickey Rourke this year, which I can live with. And Daniel Day Lewis in 2007 was acceptable, even if it was his second win. But the fact that Terrence Howard beat him in 2005 completely undermines the credibility of the whole production. Remember when they gave Scorsese the Oscar for Best Director for The Departed, and everyone knew it wasn’t nearly his best movie but were so embarrassed by the fact that he hadn’t won yet that they gave it to him anyway? That’s going to happen to Leo. He’s going to knock out the third dud of his career sometime in 2019 and they’ll all feel so stupid that it’s his thirteenth nomination without a win that they’ll give him the Oscar. It will be a joke and an insult to both Leo and to the body of work he has toiled thanklessly to assemble. Fucking Terrence Howard. D-
Revolutionary Road hits wide release January 23rd.