A long, dark 'Road'

When I first saw the previews for "Revolutionary Road," I thought it looked unbelievably depressing, and I had no desire to see it. I came around and rented it, and I actually thought it was an excellent film.

The movie reunites Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet from when they were young stars in the box office hit "Titanic." They're older now, and play a married couple, Frank and April Wheeler with two children leading the stereotypical lifestyle of a 1955 suburban family unit: Frank commutes to New York City for a boring office job while April is the loving housewife. Except she's not so loving anymore, and she has grown tired of their uniformal lifestyle.

A big fight between the two after a terrible performance in an amateur play by April leads her to desire to leave their lives behind and moving the family to Paris to start anew. She wants to work while Frank "finds" himself. Frank finally agrees, and they decide to leave in the fall. The marriage is saved, and both are happy again.

But things have a way of unraveling, especially in unhappy people in unhappy marriages. That's all you need to know about the story; it is worth watching.

Kathy Bates gives a great performance as the Wheeler's neighbor Helen Givings, who doubles as a real estate agent. Her pinings on how great the neighborhood is give context to how miserable it really is, especially for the Wheelers, who apparently once were you free thinkers with loads of ambition. Her son John (Michael Shannon) is literally crazy, but also emerges as one of the sanest characters in the film for his blunt assessments of life. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and was truly excellent. Kate Winslet was excellent as well; she totally fits her role as an unhappy housewife. I was not as convinced with DiCaprio's role; he didn't fit for me. I kept seeing his character from "The Departed" or something. I think a different actor could have been better, and maybe been nominated for an Oscar. It was that type of role, I just thought Leo was sub par.

"Revolutionary Road" was directed by Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") and is rated R for sexuality, nudity and a lot of adult content. It is a pretty intense movie with very adult themes, and I would not recommend for any child. Plus, they just won't enjoy it. But you will. Though a dark topic, I thought it was terrific.