Review of This Boy's Life (1993) by Stuart K — 16 Apr 2013

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, (Memphis Belle (1990), Doc Hollywood (1991) and Rob Roy (1995)) and produced by Art Linson (The Untouchables (1993), Dick Tracy (1990) and Fight Club (1999), this is an adaptation of the 1989 memoir by Tobias Wolff.

It's a hard-hitting drama, which with a brilliant lead performance, and good support as well, it's quite harrowing to watch in places, but it has a sense of hope about it. In 1955, Toby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his mother Caroline Wolff (Ellen Barkin) are travelling across country from Florida to start a new life out west, they try settling in Utah, where Caroline tries courting with local Roy (Chris Cooper), but that doesn't work out, so they move on to Seattle, where Caroline then meets Dwight Hansen (Robert De Niro), a respectable man, who seems to have everything that Caroline wants in a man.

However, Toby then see's Dwight's true colours when Dwight starts abusing him physically and verbally, but Toby wants to get out, and enrol at a prep-school, but Dwight says he'll amount to nothing and tries to hold him back.

If anything, it doesn't paint a very good picture of step-parents, but DiCaprio does well in his first big starring role, it was only a few years before he became a huge star and he's able to hold his own against De Niro.

Plus, the film is enhanced with beautiful cinematography by David Watkin.