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Title: This Boy's Life (1993)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert De Niro | ... | Dwight | |
| Ellen Barkin | ... | Caroline | |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | ... | Toby | |
| Jonah Blechman | ... | Arthur Gayle | |
| Eliza Dushku | ... | Pearl | |
| Chris Cooper | ... | Roy | |
| Carla Gugino | ... | Norma | |
| Zachary Ansley | ... | Skipper (as Zack Ansley) | |
| Tracey Ellis | ... | Kathy | |
| Kathy Kinney | ... | Marian | |
| Robert Zameroski | ... | Arch Cook (as Bobby Zameroski) | |
| Tobey Maguire | ... | Chuck Bolger | |
 |
Tristan Tait | ... | Jerry Huff |
|
|
Travis MacDonald | ... | Psycho |
|
|
Richard Liss | ... | A & P Manager |
In 1957, a son and mother flee the East and an abusive boyfriend to find a new life, and end up in Seattle, where the mother meets a polite garage mechanic. The boy continually gets into trouble by hanging out with the wrong crowd. The mom marries the mechanic, but they soon find out that he's an abusive and unreasoning alcoholic, and they struggle to maintain hope in an impossible situation as the boy grows up with plans to escape the small town by any means possible. Based on a true story by Tobias Wolff. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
I heard of this movie before, but I had no knowledge of what it was about, and basically rented it because it looked good and Robert DeNiro is the star--my Number One favorite actor.
Well, DeNiro's performance is one of the high points of the film, and he is extraordinary as the abusive father who seems pleasant and jovial at times, but can turn violent when you push his buttons. Leonardo DiCaprio is also great, in one of the best performances of his career. Over the years, he's been gaining a reputation as a glamour guy. And that he is, but you must see his performance in this movie before regarding him as "just another pretty face." He was still in his early teens (I'm guessing) when he made this film, so this was a long time before he hit it big with "Titanic." Ellen Barkin is also good, but I wish her character could've been developed a little more. I kept wondering, during the course of the film, why she felt like withstanding Dwight's abuse for such a long period of time. In the beginning of the film, she's established as a free spirit--the kind of woman that romances a man, then drives off to another state to find her next man. Well, why didn't she do the same thing with this jerk? The film is based on a true story, so I'm sure she really did stay with him that long, but I just wanted to know her motives.
"This Boy's Life" is a solid, beautifully made slice-of-life that kept me glued to the screen from start to finish. The climax is an emotional powerhouse that made me want to stand up and cheer. Please check out this underrated masterpiece!
My score: 9 (out of 10)