By Josh Moss
josh@louisville.com
So, yeah, I got tired of writing the conventional movie review, the kind you can read on every other website and blog, in every other magazine and newspaper. Instead, from here on out, this column will be “Succeeds or Sucks.” It’s simple, really: list what’s good about a movie (each numbered item gets one point) and list what’s bad about a movie (each item gets one negative point); combine the total; provide a final score. Arbitrary? You bet. But you’ll still know whether or not it’s worth seeing.
Kicking things off is “Revolutionary Road,” director Sam Mendes’ commentary on suburbia and marriage told through Frank and April Wheeler’s crumbling relationship in 1955. April once had dreams of becoming an actress. Frank never really knew what he wanted. They had a couple of kids, moved from Manhattan to the Connecticut suburbs and “settled down.” Despite their pretty white house with the manicured green lawn, April wants the family to move to Paris. A fresh start, if you will. Frank is on board at first. Then the company he hates working for in the city offers him a promotion. It’s based on a Richard Yates novel.
Why it succeeds:
1. For the first time since a little flick from 1997 called “Titanic,” Kate and Leo are back together as the Wheelers. Yes, they’re great. (Stop squealing already.)
2. Kate Winslet, who already won a Golden Globe, gives a performance that could very well snag the Oscar, too.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio will at least get a nomination.
4. The wicked words these two sling at each other can be tough to stomach. But their fights probably ring a lot closer to home than many moviegoers would like to admit.
5. Mendes, Winslet's real-life husband, knows how to pace scenes. The way Winslet and DiCaprio bubble and steam beneath the surface before exploding into a violent eruption is powerful stuff.
6. DiCaprio smashes a chair against a wall mid-argument.
7. It stands up to Mendes’ best work, which includes “American Beauty,” for which he won an Oscar, and the underrated “Jarhead.”
8. "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
fans will be pleased.
9. It captures the 1950s. Everybody smokes. Lunch consists of martinis and steaks. And the clothes people wear to the beach will surely draw smiles.
10. Though it's set more than 50 years ago, a change of scenery and this thing could take place today.
11. Kathy Bates as Helen Givings is entertaining as the Wheelers’ gossipy, realtor friend. She has a grown, math genius son who gets electric-shock therapy in a mental hospital.
12. Ray Liotta look-a-like and Lexington native Michael Shannon as John, the Givings’ son, is superb. The Oscar buzz is warranted. Is he crazy? Nah. A lot of what he has to say about the Wheelers' marriage makes perfect sense.
13. The scene at the bar in which April dances with a neighbor is a memorable one.
14. Thomas Newman’s score is subtle but poignant.
15. Gratuitous nudity.
Score: +15
Why it sucks:
1. Without spoiling anything, the way April chooses to deal with a particular personal issue is sure to make some squirm.
2. “My Heart Will Go On”? Not likely. And that's kind of sad.
Score: -2
Total: 13 = success.
