Winslet had two critically acclaimed roles in 2008. After reading Justin Haythe's screenplay for Revolutionary Road, an adaptation of Richard Yates's debut novel, Winslet recommended the project to her husband at the time, the director Sam Mendes, and her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. The film traces the tribulations of a young married couple in 1950s suburban America. Winslet was attracted to the idea of playing a woman whose aspirations had not been met,and she read The Feminine Mystique to understand the psychology of unhappy housewives from the era. Mendes encouraged DiCaprio and Winslet to spend time together, and she believed that the small set they used helped them to develop their character's strained relationship. Hailing Winslet as "the best English-speaking film actress of her generation", David Edelstein of New York magazine wrote that "there isn’t a banal moment in Winslet’s performance—not a gesture, not a word".