“Revolutionary Road” is a showcase of great acting, its a powderkeg of emotions that masterfully explodes on the screen, but the overall depressing story is a tough pill to swallow in these times.

I understand now the awards that this movie is being nominated for… and the ones it isn’t… except for one.  The acting awards for Kate Winslet as best actress and Michael Shannon for best supporting actor… but what about Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor?  Okay. Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself here…

A warning to parents… this movie has adult themes and would be totally boring for the younger audiences.
 

Imagine 10 years after the “Titanic”… if Jack had survived… and he and Rose got married, had kids and  moved to the suburbs… and Molly Brown (Kathy Bates) became their real estate agent.   There’s even talk about sailing the Atlantic in a big boat… sounds like a sequel right? 

Nope… instead, imagine Kate and Leo in the less romantic, less exciting everyday mundane life of an american couple stuck in jobs they don’t like… in a neighborhood they don’t really like either… in a life they feel trapped in and secretely blame each other for… and their love is a little shaky… and their characters are April and Frank… and you have “Revolutionary Road”.

Winslet is great in her role and well deserving of the Golden Globe and the other nominations her acting received… her character has so many layers… and she pulls it off with ease and class.

DiCaprio also shines in one of his more emotionally challenging roles… he brings realism and depth to the character… but in the end I have to agree that this role isn’t quite top five (only five spots for the Oscar for best actor) material – because you still see Leo.. or other characters he played coming through the role… like the the ladies man character of Frank in ”Catch Me If You Can” (2002) or the tough guy in “The Departed” (2006).

Kathy Bates is solid and sells her character of the nosy and obtrusive real estate agent.

In some ways it makes sense that supporting actor Michael Shannon gets the Oscar nomination for his performance as the mentally unstable son of Bates’ character.  He steals the few scenes he is in and is totally immersed in the character… you see him for the character he is, not who he is.   (If you want to see Shannon in some other good, but minor roles, check him out in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) or “Bad Boys II” (2003).)

The sets and costumes are also well done, adding to the story in setting the time and place… and do deserve the award nominations.  The cinematography was well done too… with great use of close ups… or wide shots to convey different feelings and tones.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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 Here’s another remake to add to the list of movie remakes that only the visuals are better than the original.

Its been 57 years since the original doomsday alien invasion movie came out… and since then movie making technology has grown in leaps and bounds, and we’ve seen some pretty good movies in the sci-fi genre, including “The Matrix” that put Keanu Reeves – the main character of this movie – on the worldwide map.  ”The Day the Earth Stood Still” is pretty good, it just isn’t a GREAT sci-fi movie.

Visually, the movie is really good, but the storyline is not stunning.  It really shouldn’t be classified as a thriller, because although I was wondering what they would do next, I was never worried what would happen next – the movie was flat.

Reeves as the alien messenger Klaatu was typical Reeves in Sci-Fi – he’s good playing those stoic pale looks with limited lines and even though the movie starts with a sort-of backstory of his character, there still isn’t much depth to this character.  Reeves’ Klaatu is very similiar to the “agents” of “The Matrix”.

Jennifer Connelly is good as the female lead, scientist Helen Benson, but her performance doesn’t jump off the screen either… even as she tries to get control of her step-son played by Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son).

The movie’s message is actually not as heavy handed as it could be and is actually lost at some point… that humans are destroying the environment and they must make a change before the earth dies.  Its a clearer message in the original for the people of earth to stop their wars and fighting.  And at the end of this version, Connelly points out how humans can change – but it doesn’t have anything to do with the environment… its more about human nature.

THE BOTTOM LINE: There are much better sci-fi alien invasion (”Independence Day” (1996), “Signs” (2002), “War of the Worlds” (2005)) or sci-fi disaster movies available (”The Day After Tomorrow” (2004), “Deep Impact” (1998))… I give it 6.5 out of 10… the visuals are great but the story and the acting and/or the writing just wasn’t amazing.

“The Day the Earth Stood Still”

(2008) (rated: PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence)
(1 hr, 43 min)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, (more…)