Image credit: Revolutionary Road, 2008.
There are some on-screen pairings that are so good, so real, you become desperate to believe the chemistry continues off-screen as well. We saw it more recently with Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, but my personal favorite movie couple will always be Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet. It would shock you to know how much time I’ve spent daydreaming about these two. Fantasizing about a world where they finally, after all these marriages and models, finally end up together IRL. Picturing the secret tears poor Leo must have shed walking Kate down the aisle at her latest wedding, wishing it were him waiting at the altar. It’s true, I have a very active, misguided imagination. Or maybe, they were just too convincing as a married couple in this week’s film Revolutionary Road (Disc/Download).
With any other actors, this film would have been a depressing two-hour slog through 1950s suburbia. Cheating husband, frustrated housewife, unwanted pregnancies—this is what happens when you force people to live in cramped 1950s housing. You think it’ll be all mid-century glamour and kitsch until you realize the bathrooms are the size of a postage stamp. Having to share a tiny pedestal sink—that’s enough to drive any marriage to its breaking point. I say this as someone who lives in a mid-century modern house, and who has actively chosen to remain child-free. Honestly, kids just wouldn’t fit. But Frank and April Wheeler didn’t get the memo. They procreate, and live to regret it. Constantly bickering, trading withering looks and baiting insults, their marriage is a pressure cooker waiting to explode. But the thing is, these two have such great chemistry that even when they’re fighting, you want to watch every second. They may not be a real-life couple, but they’ve managed to generate some of the hottest, most passionate scenes in movie history.
Midway through the film, in a desperate attempt to break them out of their suburban prison, April hatches a plan to move the family to Paris. With her little white gloves and expertly tailored dress, she’s a lady on a mission at the passport office. [Spoiler Alert] She never makes it to Paris, but you sure can with this classic beverage. While watching Revolutionary Road, I recommend drinking a Parisian martini.
Parisian
2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
3/4 oz Crème de Cassis
Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
As with most Sam Mendes films, the cinematography and level of acting achievement are unparalleled. Watching Revolutionary Road, you feel transported to 1955 through the costumes, the styling, and yes, those tiny rooms. It’s claustrophobic and electric all at once, making you feel like an uncomfortable participant in the marriage. This may not be a happily-ever-after love story, but I’m still madly in love with it. Cheers!
Cinema Sips 