Revolutionary Road, The House Bunny, and Gran Turino

Revolutionary Road

For several days after watching Revolutionary Road, the main thought running through my mind was “what did I learn from this film?”

Frank and April Wheeler are a couple who have fallen through the trap door into a suburban life that they never knew they wanted, don’t really want, but don’t know how to escape from. Frank takes comfort in other women to compensate for his suburban misery and inability to satisfy April. April on the other hand, has the courage to realize the need to break free from the mundane routine that their lives have become by convincing Frank they should up and move with their children to Paris, France.

So, for a brief time I felt inspired to see a couple who has the strength to realize that the life they’re leading isn’t the one they want, that they have the power to change it, and that all that matters is that they have each other.

The plan to move to France dissolves quickly when April becomes pregnant and Frank is lured into a promotion at work that more firmly entrenches them into American suburbia. It seems that both are on opposite sides of the fence here. Frank is willing to play along with the American dream, thinking there’s no reason they can’t be happy if they just work at it and try to force themselves into a social mould that just doesn’t fit. April, by contrast sees that the mould doesn’t fit and just wants to find a new one.

Of course, it all ends badly and you walk out of the theatre just feeling a hint of the “hopeless emptiness” that the film alludes to – ironically enough, stated by the sanest ‘insane’ man in the entire film.

What did I learn?
1. If you want to move to Paris, France with your husband, use birth control.
2. If you don’t like how your life is establishing itself, fight to change it into the life you want – don’t be complacent.
3. Sam Mendes either hates, or is obsessed with suburbia.

House Bunny

Well, I’m willing to admit that I watched this movie. And that I laughed – more than once. But that’s about as far as I’m willing to go! Maybe if I was a guy I’d appreciate it more – I’m sure looking at a scantily clad Anna Ferris doing a next generation Legally Blonde act is lots of fun to some out there. Definitely glad this was a rental.

Gran Turino

Having not seen many classic Clint Eastwood movies in the past, there may have been a certain Dirty Harry frame of reference missing for me when watching Gran Turino. And yet – I still loved it. Eastwood is spot on in his role as Walt Kowalski, a bigoted Vietnam War veteran living in a neighbourhood with rapidly changing demographics. His performance certainly compensates for that of his weaker-chopped counterparts. And yet, the fresh new faces on the screen make the subject matter and acting all the more realistic, so Eastwood is to be applauded for taking on a film with a truly independent spirit.