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Revolutionary Road is a 2008 romantic drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Frank and April Wheeler, with Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, David Harbour, and Kathy Bates in supporting roles.
Oct 5, 2023 · Key Takeaways: Revolutionary Road, released in 2008, explores the struggles of a suburban couple in the 1950s, highlighting the importance of communication and the pursuit of personal fulfillment.
- Plot
- Production
- Release
- Notes and References
In 1948, Frank Wheeler meets April at a party. He is a longshoreman, hoping to be a cashier; she wants to be an actress. Frank later secures a sales position with Knox Machines, and he and April marry. The Wheelers move to 115 Revolutionary Road in suburban Connecticut when April becomes pregnant. The couple become close friends with their realtorH...
Development and casting
In 1961, following the publication of Richard Yates' novel, director John Frankenheimer considered making the film, but opted to make The Manchurian Candidate instead. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. expressed an interest in the film adaptation, but others in his studio told him that it lacked commercial prospects. Then in 1965, producer Albert S. Ruddy bought the rights but disliked the ending to the novel, and wanted to obscure April's death with "tricky camerawork". He became involved in adapting The G...
Filming
In mid-2007, the cast rehearsed for three-and-a-half weeks before principal photography and shot mostly in sequence and on location in Darien, Connecticut. Mendes wanted to create a claustrophobic dynamic on set, so he filmed the Wheeler home interiors in a real house. The property, including the neighbor's house, were very small but featured 1950s-style architecture. The homeowners gave permission for DreamWorks to dismantle and remodel the interior and exterior. Around 45 tradespeople were...
Music
Thomas Newman composed the soundtrack for Revolutionary Road; it is his fourth film score collaboration with Mendes. Consisting of fifteen tracks, Newman uses a variety of piano, strings, metallic sound effects and basslines for a haunting minimalist sound.The music was recorded at Newman Scoring Stage in Los Angeles and the album was released on December 23, 2008.
Box office
Revolutionary Road premiered in Los Angeles on December 15, 2008, followed by a limited U.S. release on December 26, 2008, and then a wider release (1,058 theaters) on January 23, 2009. In most other countries, it was released between January 15–30, 2009.The film earned $22.9 million at the domestic box office and $56.6 million internationally for a moderate worldwide $76 million.
Home media
Revolutionary Road was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2009. The Blu-ray edition includes an audio commentaryby Mendes, 26-minutes of deleted scenes, and two documentaries on the development of the project.
Critical reception
Revolutionary Road received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 67% based on 215 reviews, with an average score of 6.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Brilliantly acted and emotionally powerful, Revolutionary Road is a handsome adaptation of Richard Yates' celebrated novel". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable r...
News: December 18, 2008. 'Revolutionary Road': Big ads but no awards. Los Angeles Times. September 27, 2023.Revolutionary-Road. Revolutionary Road. September 27, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230710023357/https://the-numbers.com/movie/Revolutionary-Road. July 10, 2023. live.News: Bailey . Blake . Revolutionary Road—the Movie . Slate.com . June 26, 2007 . May 27, 2009 . May 24, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090524005901/http://www.slate.com/id/2169033 . live .News: McGrath . Charles . Kate! Leo! Gloom! Doom! Can It Work? . . December 14, 2008 . May 27, 2009 . January 21, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120121122605/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14...- Roger Deakins
- Thomas Newman
- Sam Mendes
- Justin Haythe
Revolutionary Road is the debut novel by the American author Richard Yates. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1962, along with Catch-22 and The Moviegoer. When published by Atlantic-Little, Brown in 1961, it received critical acclaim, and The New York Times reviewed it as "beautifully crafted ... a remarkable and deeply troubling ...
Oct 29, 2019 · Before the opening credits even conclude, Kate and Leo are living in the Connecticut suburbs with two kids and a “modern” house on a street called — you guessed it — Revolutionary Road.
- Rachel Handler
- Staff Writer
Feb 1, 2009 · DiCaprio and Winslet shine as the troubled couple in Sam Mendes's beautifully crafted film of Richard Yates's postwar classic, writes Philip French
TL;DR: Shannon's over-the-top acting is true to the character, and the over-the-top behavior of the character plays a real role in the drama.
