I remember renting this film from my library in college, I was most likely attracted because of the leading stars, I'm glad I watched it a second time, I remember liking it, but I could acknowledge it properly as being based on a true story, directed by Michael Caton- Jones (Rob Roy, The Jackal, Basic Instinct 2). Basically set in the 1950s, Caroline Wolff (Ellen Barkin) and her young Tobias "Toby", who wants to go by the name Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), have fled the East to escape her abusive boyfriend, the find a new life and settle in Seattle, Washington. Caroline then meets seemingly respectable garage mechanic Dwight Hansen (Robert De Niro), Toby is weary of the new man in his mother's life, but she thinks she has found the perfect man. However Dwight shows his true personality to Toby when he is separated from his mother for a few months, staying with Dwight and his other children, Dwight claims he wants to help Toby become a better man, but he emotionally, verbally and physically abuses the boy to do so. Caroline agrees to marry Dwight, but she also slowly recognises Dwight's need to dominate everyone around him, despite some abuse herself she decides to remain with Dwight, and many years of dysfunction ensue. Toby meanwhile makes friends with misfit and ambiguously gay Arthur Gayle (Jonah Blechman), while continuing to suffer the torment of his repressive stepfather. Toby hopes to leave Concrete and live with his older brother Gregory, so he decides to apply for a scholarship at an East Coast prep-school, realising his grades are not good enough to attend, he falsifies his grade reports, with the help of Arthur to get the papers. Toby submits the his prep-school applications, and assures Arthur he can also leave Concrete for a better life, Arthur says he will most likely stay, Toby is rejected numerous times, but is finally accepted, with a full scholarship, by the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. By the end, Dwight and Toby have a physically violent argument, Caroline comes in and defends her son, she finally realises she has had enough of the misery Dwight has brought upon them, she and Toby walk out on Dwight, leaving the town of Concrete. The real Dwight died in 1992, Caroline remarried and moved to Florida, Arthur did leave Concrete, becoming a successful businessman in Italy, all of Dwight's children married and remained in Seattle, and Toby became a successful writer and literature professor. Also starring True Lies' Eliza Dushku as Pearl Hansen, Chris Cooper as Roy, Carla Gugino as Norma Hansen, Zachary Ansley as Skipper Hansen, Tracey Ellis as Kathy, Kathy Kinney as Marian, Tobey Maguire as Chuck Bolger, Sean Murray as Jimmy Voorhees, Lee Wilkof as Principal Skippy and Bill Dow as Vice Principal. De Niro gives an impressive performance as the frightening, tyrannical thug, even if sometimes he is a faintly absurd bully, Barkin is good as the struggling mother, but it is indeed DiCaprio that gives the best performance as the rebellious, confused and abused teenager, it is a troubling story about an abusive relationship, obviously there are a good few brutal moments, but it leaves room for quirky humour, an interesting and worthwhile melodramatic biographical drama. Leonardo DiCaprio was number 94, and Robert De Niro number 3 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, De Niro was also number 50 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, and he was number 5 (along with Al Pacino) on The World's Greatest Actor. Very good!
Review of This Boy's Life
