Fear and loathing in Connecticut

I recently read "The Feminine Mystique," mostly just so that I could say I read it, but I did really enjoy it. In addition to being a fascinating book in and of itself, I've also found that many films and television programs have become more interesting to me when viewed in the context of "The Feminine Mystique" -- most notably AMC's "Mad Men" and the 2009 film "Revolutionary Road." If you're not watching "Mad Men," you should be. It's probably one of the best shows on television right now. But, since I've chosen movies as my focus here, let's turn our attention to "Revolutionary Road." The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, takes place in the 1950s and tells the story of the Wheelers, a middle-class suburban couple who, despite their big dreams, have turned out to be average, no different from anyone else. The first time I saw the film, this concept drew me in instantly, because don't we all feel this way sometimes? As children, most of us have big dreams about becoming an astronaut, a movie star, a football player, etc. But then we grow up and settle for more realistic professions, get married, have kids -- we become "ordinary," just like we told ourselves we'd never be. Of course, most people never take their frustration to the extremes that the Wheelers do, they just sigh and move on with life, but that's why they aren't fictional characters. After reading "The Feminine Mystique," I saw "Revolutionary Road" a second time. This time, I got to thinking about Frank Wheeler, DiCaprio's character, and how he seemed even more trapped and confused than his wife. He was even less willing to dare to dream bigger than she was. Though "The Feminine Mystique" focused on women and was a driving force behind the feminist movement, wasn't Betty Friedan's "problem that has no name" an issue affecting men as well? Perhaps even as much as it affected women? Didn't men also feel trapped by the expectations of society during that time period? Another interesting tidbit was that "Revolutionary Road" was directed by Sam Mendes, who a decade ago brought us "American Beauty," which shows a family dealing with many of these same issues in modern-day suburbia. Again, this got me thinking about how far we've actually come in the past 50 years. Of course social progress has been made in terms of gender equality, but psychologically, aren't people still looking around and thinking, "Is this it? Wasn't there supposed to be more to life than this?" Thought-provoking issues aside, "Revolutionary Road" was a brilliant film all around, especially the performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, two of my favorites. And yes, I will stop carrying on about how awesome Leonardo DiCaprio is...just as soon as he stops being awesome.