While the 1950s are often looked upon with nostalgia of the "good ol' days," the film adaptation of the Richard Yates novel "Revolutionary Road" scrutinizes the lives of a couple who realize that the idea of "keeping up with the Joneses" have left them unsatisfied in their lives.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as Frank and April Wheeler, who started out as a Bohemian, do-as-they-please couple and realize that they have slowly become like every other couple on their suburbia block, Revolutionary Road.

The film begins by showing Frank and April when they first meet at a party. April is an aspiring actress while Frank doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. Fast forward to when the couple is married and April is acting in a small (and not very good) local play. It is quickly apparent that the pair has no idea how or why their lives became so common and where all their dreams have gone.

On Frank's 30th birthday, April — after coming across a picture of Frank in Paris from the war — plans on how the entire family can move to Paris and away from their cookie-cutter life. She proposes, with the money they have saved and will get by selling the house and car, the family moves to France. She will get a job as a secretary in a government office and Frank can take time to finally figure out what he really wanted to do in life.

This idea revitalizes their marriage and they are shown as being happier than ever before. However, a few kinks are quickly thrown into their plan, including when Frank is offered a significant promotion at his job at Knox Business Machines. The couple is forced to reevaluate their decisions and figure out whether or not moving to Paris is the right decision.

One of the wonderful techniques used by director Sam Mendes — Winslet's husband — was to not to force the 1950s feel onto the viewer. The clothes and props remind you of the time period, but audiences could easily see this couple having the same fights in 2009. However, the film does strike a sore note when comparing the idea of a family having enough money to move to France to modern day families who are struggling to get by in today's economy.

In the end, the true gem in this entire film is Winslet. Her award-winning performance — she won a Golden Globe on Sunday for her performance in this film — brings this movie to another level. Winslet bring layers and complexity to a character who could easily come off as being ungrateful and shrew. If this performance ends her Academy Award losing streak — she's been nominated five times — it will be well deserved.