Revolutionary Road Is the Titanic Reunion Everyone Overlooked
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are two very talented actors that have been household names for decades due to their individual work. However, there’s no questioning that one of the most recognizable movies they’ve each starred in happens to feature both of them and the iconic Kathy Bates. Surprisingly, it’s not the only movie to feature all three actors.
1997’s Titanic is a hauntingly beautiful tale inspired by the real-life 1912 sinking of the Titanic. The dramatic romance follows a taboo romance blossoming between a first-class passenger named Rose DeWitt Bukater and a third-class American artist named Jack Dawson. While those names have become synonymous with romance and tragedy, the aforementioned actors behind the characters made them great and left the world stunned by their notable chemistry. Luckily, Titanic isn’t the only film to showcase DiCaprio and Winslet’s charm in a romantic yet dramatic setting as 2008’s Revolutionary Road also accomplishes similar feats.
Revolutionary Road’s Frank and April Parallel Titanic’s Jack and Rose
Aside from being a killer Titanic cast reunion, Revolutionary Road is a highly dramatic tale of a romance between a couple named Frank and April Wheeler played by DiCaprio and Winslet respectively. The movie isn’t inherently related to Titanic, as it’s based on the 1961 novel by Richard Yates of the same name. Interestingly, there are still plenty of notable parallels between the two films, especially with DiCaprio and Winslet’s characters.
In Titanic, 17-year-old Rose is very unhappy with her life. She’s forced to subscribe to the rigid social norms associated with her gender, the conservative values of the wealthy, and an arranged marriage to a narcissistic man, all at the hands of her controlling mother. Despite originally coming from a wealthy family, Rose’s father left the family in financial ruin. This resulted in her arranged marriage to Caledon “Cal” Hockley in an effort for the family to recover financially and maintain their place as part of the wealthy elite. This left Rose severely depressed to the point of contemplating suicide while traveling on the RMS Titanic. During this low point. Rose meets Jack and immerses herself in a whirlwind romance that ends tragically and controversially.
Revolutionary Road’s April is also living a seemingly perfect yet unhappy life. She and her husband Frank also have a passionate romantic relationship between the late 1940s and 1950s, and have some pretty big dreams of their own. April in particular wants to travel and pursue an acting career, while Frank settles for working a mundane job he hates in order to support his family. From there, rigid social norms and domestic life begin to weigh heavily on the young couple. April is forced to give up her dream life of travel and acting when she becomes pregnant and falls into the role of the classic 1950s housewife. This results in the gradual deterioration of Frank and April’s marriage, which also ends in tragedy.
Titanic and Revolutionary Road Explore Two Different Relationships
Although both Titanic and Revolutionary Road share similarities with their main characters, the love stories featured within them are kind of opposites. Titanic is a coming-of-age love story of a relationship at the height of its honeymoon phase, whereas Revolutionary Road is about a relationship in shambles. A part of both movies that’s unfortunately similar is the leading ladies having to experience loveless and toxic relationships, though only one is the main relationship of the story.
Titanic is an overall sweet love story between two young people who choose to remain together in the face of tragedy. Their relationship ends with DiCaprio’s character Jack Dawson saving Rose’s life and succumbing to hypothermia in the freezing waters of the Atlantic after the ship sinks. The same cannot be said about Revolutionary Road, as the relationship between Frank and April is depicted is abusive, dysfunctional, and arguably loveless at the end of its life. At the end of the movie, Winslet’s April is faced with an unwanted pregnancy and harsh laws preventing a safe option for the mother-of-two. As such, she performs an abortion on her own without the support of her husband, and ends up dying from the botched attempt.
Both Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio are well-known for their extensive portfolios and each star has notable tear-inducing romantic dramas in that repertoire. For Winslet, some may think of the LGBT+ romance, Ammonite, and for DiCaprio, they might think of the campy Baz Luhrmann flick, Romeo + Juliet. But, it’s basically impossible to mention these names and not bring up the first movie to combine the two forces, Titanic. The clear chemistry displayed in the film left some aching for more, and some may not have realized the wish of a Titanic reunion was granted with Revolutionary Road.
