June 26, 2009
Revolutionary Road & Suburbia
Last night my wife and I watched the movie Revolutionary Road. I really didn’t know much about it other than it was a critique on suburbia. Wow, this is a movie that one needs to sit with for a while.
Have you see it? What were your reactions to it?
I loved the voice of the “mentally ill” friend who called out the suburban bluff.
Interesting that he’s the one who is considered “insane.”
The movie reminded me of my reactions to coming back to suburbia after being in Zambia last summer in this blog post here.
06.26.09
By: john chandler
Watched it a few weeks ago…totally meant to recommend it to you. Maybe we are subconsciously connected somehow.
Loved the insane character…common theme in movies is the character who is the prophetic fool.
Richard Yates, who wrote the book, said this: ” If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy.” Felt like that theme drove the movie.
06.26.09
By: Megs
I have to be honest, I was disturbed to the point of nauseated by the movie. I don’t think this is an accurate representation of suburbia, but rather of a lost culture at its furthest point of being lost.
http://writtenbymegs.blogspot.com/2009/01/bad-movie.html
06.26.09
By: Todd
Megs, yeah i can see how you would react to the movie. I wonder if part of the goal of the movie was to overstate the problem, though, i wouldn’t go as far to say that say that this kind of thing isn’t actaully reality for some people.
06.27.09
By: David
Can you believe that you weren’t on my Google reader? OK now I’m set up. So we saw your post last night and decided to go rent it. Great thought provoking movie on the realities of suburbia. A reoccurring theme was hopelessness, from my perspective what they were really experiencing was false hope. This idea of the perfect street/house/kids and my life will be complete is a common false hope I know I have experienced and I’m sure our neighbors have as well. I can identify with Frank’s desire to “get out” or as the wife said “get in”. And while its easy to rip suburbia, there is no more hope to be found in some sweet city like Paris or Seattle. And while they may not have seemed like it, the Wheeler’s, a family looking for truth and a better reality were people of peace.
06.27.09
By: esther
this movie would be a great one to watch with a group and then discuss afterwards. i felt as though i have met several of the characters in my own suburban reality and would even go so far as to say i have had times in my life where i have felt similar sentiments to Aprils.
gosh there is loads i could say about the different characters in this movie. very thought provoking…
06.29.09
By: adam lehman
watched it with my wife (got married 2 days ago) and some friends who had just graduated college. I totally dug the movie, but I’m not sure that everyone is going to watch this flick and catch the suburban critique. especially those that are totally down with how suburbia operates.