Following the excitement of the Golden Globes and Kate Winslet’s award for best actress, we ran to see this film and the wonderful Winslet – who shines as April Wheeler. She is truly incredible!! It is adapted from the novel written by Richard Yates and if you know the story, it stays fairly true to course.
April and Frank Wheeler (stellar, Oscar-worthy performance by Leonardo DiCaprio) follow the herd in the mid 1950’s and migrate north from the excitement of New York city to the sleepy suburbs of Connecticut to raise their family. Without questioning where this will ultimately lead, they proceed on auto-pilot wth the rest of post-war America – Frank commuting with thousands of suburban husbands and fathers each day to his unfulfilling job in the city, April donning her apron and playing house from morning to night while he’s gone.
Over the years, a creeping disillusionment seeps into their lives and marriage as they realize they have become like everyone else; her dreams of acting just a blur of a memory. How they handle this realization is what makes this film Oscar material. Both Winslet and DiCaprio present a depth that is both believable and unnerving at times. It is a drama that unfolds with a lot of tension – bolstered by a powerful musical score that promises doom.
Kathy Bates plays realtor June Givings with a 50’s persona we can truly recognize as authentic. It would be remiss of me not to mention the outstanding Michael Shannon who plays the role of her son John. Enough said. Now go and see it!
We could all appreciate the incredible talent that brought the story to life on screen. It is a heavy story line with many layers of truth.
It will not be a movie for everyone as our scores will show – “D” gave it a 2 out of 5, “H” and “S” gave it a 5 out of 5, “P” was in the middle with a 3.
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