Revolutionary Road was one of the helluva movies of 2008. It was so intense and character driven that I gotta tell you: 

I absolutely hated every bit of this film.

It showed me a mirror to my then-self of who I'd become. A pessimist who thought he was superior to everyone else. A “war strategist,” who didn't even serve in the military. A part time writer who thought all jobs are useless.

A year before he had lost everything because of his mere cowardice. He was hopeless. He didn't know what it was actually that he wanted to do. He followed the same routine everyday and still hoped to get a better life. 

That was my reflection I saw in Revolutionary Road. And I hated every bit of it. Nobody wants to know the brutal truth, after all.

What is the Revolutionary Road about?

Revolutionary Road revolves around two young married couples living in 1950's Connecticut. Two met at a party, and things went pretty fast after that. They were the ideal couple of the neighborhood. Or, at least others thought so.

Frank Wheeler (DiCaprio) worked in a decent paying but dead end job. His lovely wife, April (Winslet), dreamed of going to Paris and starting a new life. Frank thought it's unrealistic. But eventually he decided to leave for Paris. By now things were pretty good until Frank decided not to go. In the following days the two had a complete breakdown in their marriage.

Why should you watch the Revolutionary Road?

Everyone should watch Revolutionary Road.

When I say this to someone, they always give me a strange look. Firstly because plenty of them don't believe Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have a movie together after Titanic. Secondly because this is not a feel good movie by any measure.

To give you a deeper understanding of the movie, why you should watch Revolutionary Road, I've made these top ten quotes. 

These are the movie quotes you should live by. Each of the quotes helped me break free of my reflection… and I believe it'll help you as well.

10 Dark Truth Quotes From Revolutionary Road

1. "You've never tried at anything. And if you don't try at anything, you can't fail." - April Wheeler


2. "It takes backbone to lead the life you want, Frank." - April Wheeler

3. "If being crazy means living life as if it matters, then I don't mind being completely insane." - April Wheeler

4. "Our whole existence here is based on this great premise that we're special. They we're superior to the whole thing. But we're not. We're just like everyone else!" - April Wheeler

5. "It's unrealistic for a man with a fine mind to go on working year after year at a job he can't stand. Coming home to a place he can't stand, to a wife who's equally unable to stand the same things." - April Wheeler

6. "You know what's so good about the truth? Everyone knows what it is however long they've lived without it. No one forgets the truth, Frank, they just get better at lying." - April Wheeler


7. "- April Wheeler: For the first time in your life, you'll have the time to find out what it is you actually want to do. And when you figure it out, you'll have the time and the freedom, to start doing.

- Frank Wheeler: This doesn't seem very realistic."

8. "How pathetic is that? So stupid. To put all your hopes in a promise that was never made." - April Wheeler

9. "Hopeless emptiness. Now you've said it. Plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness." - John Givings

10. "I saw a whole other future. I can't stop seeing it." - April Wheeler

Takeaways

The movie, Revolutionary Road is a stark portrayal of the American Dream. Here are two main takeaways from the movie: 

  • Nobody has it all figured out what to do in life.
  • Don't let others tell you what to do in your life. 
  • Follow your heart and intuition, as an old man once said, "The best and worst decision we ever made is the one we made for ourselves."

That said, I hope you enjoyed reading these quotes from the Revolutionary Road and that you've learned something new from these quotes.