Blu-ray Review: Revolutionary Road

Release Date: June 2nd, 2009
Running Time: 118 minutes

The Film

Back when Titanic hit theaters I never imagined that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet would become two of the most talented actors working today. Their innate chemistry helped Titanic become the highest grossing film of all time, and Revolutionary Road marks their first collaboration since that epic film. Leaps and bounds more skilled than they were a decade ago, their acting is both what makes the film captivating and yet adds a level of realism that makes it extremely difficult to watch. Not a film for everyone, Revolutionary Road is a draining experience but a powerful piece of filmmaking.

Based on the novel by Richard Yates, the film stars DiCaprio and Winslet as Frank and April, a couple who meets at a swank party in NYC. Their attitudes immediately gel, and they sincerely believe they are in for a life full of great and wonderful things. Yet their life plan is derailed after they get married, have kids, and plant their roots in the suburbs. Before they know it their outlandish plans for life have been pushed aside for a more normal existence. Frank finds himself working a dreary office job and getting his kicks by flirting with a secretary, while April is bored out her mind with the suburb routine and her neighbors.

Finding themselves drifting apart, April comes up with a plan to spice up their lives. She wants to move out of the suburbs and set up a home in Paris where she can work and Frank can concentrate on whatever he wants. Her enthusiasm and the promise of a more exciting life entices Frank to agree to the plan, but another pregnancy grinds everything to a halt. Feeling trapped, the couple begins to turn on each other. Negativity and anger shuffle aside the passion and love they once had, threatening to tear their marriage and lives apart.

Revolutionary Road is a harrowing film about the degeneration of a marriage that failed to live up to grandiose expectations. It is rife with the common relationship issue of miscommunication and the strain that comes with a life plan that doesn’t work out as desired. These are real, palpable emotions that affect everyone, regardless of the time period. It is just all the more potent in the overly cookie cutter period of the 1950s. As such, this is not a good date movie in any way. In fact, it’s likely to leave you feeling pretty crappy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a solid piece of filmmaking. Nearly every area features excellent work, including the directing, the haunting score, and the pristine camera work. But the heart of the film lies in DiCaprio’s and Winslet’s performances. They have so much emotion, so much pain throughout the film, that you can’t help but respect their work. These are two actors at the top of their game reuniting to create a unique energy that only they could produce on screen. It must have been a horribly draining experience, and they both deserve far more recognition than they got for this epic and disturbing diatribe on marriage.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 2.35:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. Colors are warm and bold without bleeding or looking oversaturated. It is an accurate representation of the color palette of the suburbs. Fine detail is good in the actors’ skin as well as the clothing and sets. The image takes a slight stylistic softness that prevents it from having mind-blowing fine detail, but this enhances the period piece mood of the film. Black levels are deep with acceptable shadow detail but could be a touch more consistent. Compression artifacts are not a problem, and rare video noise only pops up in the lower lit scenes. It’s not a bad transfer by any means, but not quite reference quality either.

The audio is offered in an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound mix as well as French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish/Portuguese subtitles. This is a reserved and subtle track focused more on realism than bombastic surround effects. The front channels are active with good sound effect placement and smooth pans that draw you into the scene. Light ambience is smattered across the rear channels, but rarely draws attention to itself. The score is balanced and crisp with consistent lows and clear highs. Most importantly, the dialogue is pitch-perfect and balanced from start to finish.

The Extras

Commentary is provided by Director Sam Mendes and Screenwriter Justin Haythe. It is an in-depth, intelligent track that spends a lot of time discussing the adaptation process and comparing the film to the book. It’s not the most production-heavy track out there, but the following featurette covers that topic more.

“Lives of Quiet Desperation” is a 29-minute making-of featurette with interviews from the cast and crew. The cast lauds the project and characters, talking about what drew them to it while Mendes focuses more on the production itself. It is an excellent companion piece to the commentary.

“Richard Yates: Wages of Truth” is a 26-minute featurette on the author’s work and his life. With interviews from his family, we get a candid, personal look at the man’s personality and how that translated into his novels.

15 Deleted Scenes run 25 minutes and have optional commentary by Mendes and Haythe. While there are some interesting character moments, the pacing of the film would have been disrupted by these scenes. However, fans of the novel will find some additional moments adapted from the book.

Lastly, the Theatrical Trailer is offered.

Final Thoughts

A difficult film to watch, Revolutionary Road is an intense drama that succeeds on the stellar work of its stars. Unfortunately the technical aspects of the Blu-ray are somewhat average, so I’d recommend renting this title before committing to a purchase.