Reel Geezers- Revolutionary Road

[ytcarol]

I really like these reviews, and realized after some research how qualified you both are, having been in the business for years.  I think you should put some of your credentials in the description so folks reading this realize you have an inside angle. Great stuff!

[bobbobato]

Its interesting that these reviewers are the exact same generation as the protaganists from the film.

[keflar5]

I have to disagree completely with the point, their reach is only for something more intresting and eddifying and to be around people they don't hate not for stardom or riches, thats the sadness of the film, at no point do you see her act or hear what he reads so that point is mute.

[keflar5]

RR is brilliant and achingly horrible, its soo sad and believable

[dthom71]

it's an excellent film

[tmacblue02]

I didn't think RR was that great. I understood the premise, but it wasn't executed in an effective enough way, to me at least. I didn't think Kate Winslet was all that great either. The best performance was from Michael Shannon I thought. His character and the way he played it is absolutely unforgettable in my mind. RR isn't a movie I care to really watch ever again except for watching his performance. He really makes the movie. No disrespect to Leo... he was top notch as well.

[thebobbseytwins]

I never got the impression that Frank cares more about his job than his family. He seems to despise his job. He only does it because he's expected to and he knows he needs to support his family.

I really don't think this movie is about marriage in the end, or why people shouldn't get married.

[calilivin7]

I get it, we all suck. None of us are as brilliant as we would like to think. Women were oppressed in the 50's, Frank cares more about his job than his family. They should have called this movie why Douchebags Shouldn't Get Married. The best thing I can say about this movie imo, is that it has started some interesting discussions. Yeah yeah, its the hoplesness of Suburban American culture on trial, I got it. Poor story movie, imho. Though I thought some of the acting was quite good. Thats it

[bexter2001]

and i disagree that they 'belonged' in suburbia.. maybe they were not equal to their ambitions.. but you need to at least TRY to achieve your dreams.. you wont find what makes you happy by just doing what other people tell you.. you need a little self-delusion to stop you from staring into the abyss!

i think kate and leo needed to get on that big boat, cross the atlantic and try to find something else.. even if it involved failure and was not what they expected..

[thebobbseytwins]

I don't think he is saying that they should never try to achieve their dreams. Their life circumstances, their talents, their abilities, their means all sort of equaled their living in suburbia. I think it's more the thought, "unfortunately, this is where they belonged, this is what best suited them, despite how much they wanted something else." It's tragic because they seem to be struggling against the inevitable.

[tmacblue02]

bexter2001, was that last bit a pun at Titanic? touche. or maybe i just haven't heard that one before.

[bexter2001]

indeed it was

[bexter2001]

good discussion... i agree with marcia.. more on the isolation of april was needed...

lorenzo.. disagree about michael shannon's character.. it's often an excess of intellect and insight that drives people towards mental instability.. i thought it was great. he was a little exaggerated but i like it..

[sexylilcakelyn]

these two are great!!!!! superb!

[tuttidog]

If the point of the film was to show a tragedy of delusional people then I'd have to say it was pretty unsuccessful. That was of course my judgment on the characters but the film itself seemed far too savagely condemning of the culture to justify that particular focus.

[thebobbseytwins]

I don't think the film was really condemning the culture, so to say. It was trying to accurately portray the culture of the time, especially in the way it might be seen by two people such as April and Frank.

[crimsonflare506]

This movie was fantastic, great review guys.

[ionamacedo]

marcia, Frank would be upset if you said 1961 is 50 years old... Think of us, 40 something.... greaat review and even greater film

[justsumdude899]

I was about to say... Mad Men got it right.

[deLobt]

this is my problem lorenzo: i don't think good movies should be agonizing to watch. i'm not saying i'm turned off by tragedy. i just didn't find anything interesting or inciteful within the tragedy of this film. i find a lot of critics say the same thing about synecdoche. 'i couldn't stand watching it, but what a great movie.'... take a look at the wrestler, or brokeback mountain, or hamlet. great tragedies are wonderful to watch because there's a profound poetry in the characters' decent.

[thebobbseytwins]

I think I loved this movie because it was agonizing to watch. It was only agonizing to watch because of the subject matter and the feelings I had towards the situation of the characters. In being agonizing to watch, the film was very successful in getting across a certain emotion.

[elvis32z]

I love  you guys!

[pattimontreal]

Michael Shannon as the "insane" son of Kathy Bates is SUPERB and almost steals the film.

[gcsilva]

What the woman who is reviewing the movie doesn't understand is that Richard Yates was a machist, and the movie HAS to take that idiosyncrasy to work.

[ionamacedo]

yes, but this is a film adaptation by a very fine director who could just have gone a few inches on what the wife was leaving behind. Actually, Marcia knows one or two things about it as she was the first studio mogullete as she calls herself, from Texas in the 60's. We could do it then, we can do it now, it's just a matter of hard work. Great comp with Ice storm, though that film was to me about he next generation, but great comp.

[AmosEaton]

Thanks for the review. I appreciate hearing your views on movies, especially since you keep a down to earth perspective on movies without ever dumbing things down. In this regard I feel that your reviews compliment those of critics such as David Edelstein (who is pretty much the only other film critic that I pay attention to).

[McKennahLane]

Thanks for the commentary. I have looked into the story (book/plot)and the movie..and have chosen not to see this one (too depressing). But it's nice to hear your perspectives on it anyway.