Revolutionary Road

(Paramount Vantage-DreamWorks)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet

I’ve been waiting since 1997’s Titanic to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunited on the big screen. Playing Frank and April Wheeler, ’50s Connecticut suburbanites, in Revolutionary Road, adapted from the 1961 Richard Yates novel and directed by Sam Mendes (Mr. Kate Winslet), Kate and Leo might not have giant icebergs to contend with this time, but that doesn’t mean they’re not in danger of sinking. The Wheelers seemingly have it all: looks, charm and adorable children. But when they plan a radical move to Paris, events in and out of their control force them to confront the people they have become — and the cold reality that they will never lead the lives they once imagined. Mendes captures the novel’s loneliness, longing and angst, and Winslet and DiCaprio give astonishing performances (alongside a superb cast that includes Kathy Bates and Michael Shannon). As bleak as the story of a marriage falling apart may be, Revolutionary Road is exhilarating filmmaking. But bring tissues!