MyRating: YYYYYDirector: Sam Mendes
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, David HarbourMPAA: Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity
US Gross: US$ 22.9 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 75.2 Million
This is a story about a young couple who live in a suburban area of the US in the 1950s, based on the novel by Richard Yates. Frank & April Wheeler (DiCaprio & Winslet) are presumed to have a happy and perfect life by their society. They are two attractive persons, married with two kids, husband with a good job, and living in a nice house. A life that everybody would envy and dream of. But inside, they are not happy.
Frank hates his job in the city. He thinks the job is meaningless and not good enough for him, and he believes his time and potential are wasted there. While April, a full-time housewife, doesn't feel happy with her dissatisfied and empty life, as she has to watch her dream to become an actress slowly fade away. They are the kind of people who enter their lives and marriages with high hopes and a thought that they are special than other people, and a great life ahead will surely be on their side. But they are not.
To light up their lives again, April suggests that Frank quit his job and then they move to Paris, a place where Frank visited before in the past and loved. April plans to work as a translator there, while Frank can take his time to find out what his passion is and do whatever he likes. Doubted her wife plan in the beginning, Frank finally agrees that this is the thing they have to do. They decide to move ahead to make their plan come true and start telling people about it. But when Frank finds out that April is pregnant again and he gets a big promotion at his job, he comes into a consideration whether their plan is realistic and mature enough to be pursued, or actually they are just pursuing an uncertain, maybe fake future. And the Wheelers have to choose between their dreams or their reality, that each may lead into their family downfall.
Some people may think that this movie is depressing. But for me, it is a great and wonderful film with a captivating story, beautifully directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and brilliantly acted by the two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet. Eleven years after the Titanic and long awaited by their fans, Leo & Kate finally came back together on screen with their powerful and touching performances. Their chemistry is so solid, not only they sharpen each other, but also destroy each other.
Winslet, who won the Golden Globe's Best Actress for this role, is very convincing as a dreamy, unhappy and cold-hearted wife. While DiCaprio, also nominated for the Golden Globe's Best Actor, shows one of his best performances, I like his acting and character the most in this film. Their final ferocious fight is the golden moment in this movie that you won't forget, with an excellent quarreling dialogs and all-out actings from the both actors, especially Leo, with his mind-blowing expressions. It will surely shed your emotions.
Michael Shannon also gives a good performance as the mentally unstable neighbor, that made him nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
If you like drama, a great drama, then this is a film that you should not miss. I just love this movie and the actors so much from the bottom of my heart. It will not only make us realize how devastating and destructive life can be, but also will make us reflect our own lives and current existences.
There is an old saying, "Chase your dreams as high as the stars in the sky". But what if we find out that we do not have dreams big enough, or the dreams that we think we have are actually some escape thoughts to run away from this troblesome life? (MJ)
Frank hates his job in the city. He thinks the job is meaningless and not good enough for him, and he believes his time and potential are wasted there. While April, a full-time housewife, doesn't feel happy with her dissatisfied and empty life, as she has to watch her dream to become an actress slowly fade away. They are the kind of people who enter their lives and marriages with high hopes and a thought that they are special than other people, and a great life ahead will surely be on their side. But they are not.
To light up their lives again, April suggests that Frank quit his job and then they move to Paris, a place where Frank visited before in the past and loved. April plans to work as a translator there, while Frank can take his time to find out what his passion is and do whatever he likes. Doubted her wife plan in the beginning, Frank finally agrees that this is the thing they have to do. They decide to move ahead to make their plan come true and start telling people about it. But when Frank finds out that April is pregnant again and he gets a big promotion at his job, he comes into a consideration whether their plan is realistic and mature enough to be pursued, or actually they are just pursuing an uncertain, maybe fake future. And the Wheelers have to choose between their dreams or their reality, that each may lead into their family downfall.
Some people may think that this movie is depressing. But for me, it is a great and wonderful film with a captivating story, beautifully directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and brilliantly acted by the two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet. Eleven years after the Titanic and long awaited by their fans, Leo & Kate finally came back together on screen with their powerful and touching performances. Their chemistry is so solid, not only they sharpen each other, but also destroy each other.
Winslet, who won the Golden Globe's Best Actress for this role, is very convincing as a dreamy, unhappy and cold-hearted wife. While DiCaprio, also nominated for the Golden Globe's Best Actor, shows one of his best performances, I like his acting and character the most in this film. Their final ferocious fight is the golden moment in this movie that you won't forget, with an excellent quarreling dialogs and all-out actings from the both actors, especially Leo, with his mind-blowing expressions. It will surely shed your emotions.
Michael Shannon also gives a good performance as the mentally unstable neighbor, that made him nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
If you like drama, a great drama, then this is a film that you should not miss. I just love this movie and the actors so much from the bottom of my heart. It will not only make us realize how devastating and destructive life can be, but also will make us reflect our own lives and current existences.
There is an old saying, "Chase your dreams as high as the stars in the sky". But what if we find out that we do not have dreams big enough, or the dreams that we think we have are actually some escape thoughts to run away from this troblesome life? (MJ)
