Book v. Movie: Revolutionary Road

Without a doubt, we have a dark subject matter here.  A couple struggles to hold it together as they deal with the monotony of suburbia in the '50s and the stifling of the creative spirit.   They shout and threaten.  They denounce affection and cheat.  This is not a pleasant experience! 

The book was a triumph.  Although your stomach twists into knots while agonizing through the battles between the Wheelers, the writing is incredible.   Yates gives a voice to every character, switching up the narrative styles frequently to shed light on each of their natures.  

The movie falls short.  I felt like I was being thrown into fast-forward, as so much was being told too fast and so much was being left aside to make room for progress.  Kathy Bate's character was greatly cheapened in comparison to how she was presented in the novel.  Frank Wheeler (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) was not given the time to show his true insecurities.  April Wheeler's character was denied further understanding by being given some shoddy filler-dialogue created in a great departure from the book.  Why not use that time to have her reflect on her parents, who played a major role in the development of her essence (as Yates so powerfully illustrated)?   

Some people say that this film should have received more attention by the Academy.  Although I think the performances were well-done, the story didn't settle well.   If it was able to flesh out the stories of all the players a little more, perhaps it wouldn't have just felt like a gut-twisting downer, but more like a moving character piece.