The movie is set somewhere in 1950s America, and it's basically a really cynical picture of life in 1950s suburbia, and the "American Dream" in general, so needless to say I was a fan.
It follows a couple, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, through their ups and downs as they struggle with their own dreams being crushed by The American Dream, and their seemingly perfect life they have carved out for themselves in suburbia. I am going to be the first to say that I absolutely hate suburbia and everything it stands for, so I could totally relate with the protagonists and their plans to get out of there. To be fair, I think that the 1950s was pretty much the golden age of The American Dream. Small businesses could still easily make a go of it, men always wore stylish hats and suits, suburbia was considerably more modest... if it weren't for the total absence of Internet I think it would have been a great time to be alive. That should tell you how miserable someone would have to be to want to leave behind the GOLDEN AGE and try something else. I think America has fallen considerably from the glory days of the 50s, so I imagine there are a great deal more people who share the same views as the ones portrayed in this movie, that you are kind of trapped in this life that you don't really think you want, but somehow can never get the nerve to leave behind.
Opinions aside, the movie is very well-written, and acted. There is some really intense drama, and both stars convey it admirably. The filming and production of the whole movie was also spot on, and it was nominated for a few awards as well, which says something about the quality of this film.
It's a fairly depressing movie, but I also found it fairly inspirational. I hope I can one day work up the nerve to try a crazy plan along the lines of what is discussed in the movie. I don't really want to go into a lot of details... I prefer to leave movie reviews vague, without a bunch of spoilers. I think it's better if I just give a little description and tell you that I thought it was a pretty sweet movie. It's a little on the long side, but it's definitely worth a watch.
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