For whatever reason, a lot of Oscar-bait drama doesn’t appeal to us. Maybe its because some of the films appear to be steeped in predictable melodrama and the now-too familiar beats that seem to permeate all classical, Oscar-friendly “serious pictures.” Things like “Gran Torino,” “Frost/Nixon” and even “Doubt” seem like films we can smell a mile away in tone, mood, etc. — there’s never any surprises — but one seemingly-straight-forward drama that looks incredibly appealing to us is Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road.” We’re not particularly big fans of any of the major players aside from Kate Winslet, but the trailer to this one just looked stellar. A friend wrote Anne Thompson with one of the earliest reviews and called it, quite possibly, “a modern classic.” It certainly has the promise of that. Now we’re super-psyched.
“First screening long lead today at paramount. The word from me is wow! Very powerful two-hander for Leo and Kate, all grown up now as a married couple unhappy but still in love. Yhey go at it fiercely and you can sense the real-life bond that lets them really go for it, all defenses down. It’s powerful and also beautifully written and filmed. Sam Mendes doing suburban angst again, but this time in the 1950s. I daresay it may be a modern classic. also, the screenplay race this year is unusually light on adaptations, so this being an adaptation of the Richard Yates novel, I’d look for a nomination.”
We’re generally never quite convinced with Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting, especially when he’s in a period place and seems woefully out of place, but as a young, idealistic 1950s father trapped in suburban ennui, well, he looks like he’s finally at home somewhere. “Revolutionary Road” hits theaters December 26. Color us extra excited.