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This Boy's Life
Kinetic direction and a trio of powerhouse performances from the leads make a fact-based drama from 1993 called This Boy's Life well worth investing in.
Caroline (Ellen Barkin) is a single mother who decides to start a new life in Seattle with her teenage son, Tobias (Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio) and finds herself beginning a relationship with an outwardly charming mechanic named Dwight (Oscar winner Robert De Niro). When Toby starts acting out at school, Caroline decides to send Toby to live with Dwight in the neighboring town of Concrete, where it slowly comes to light that Dwight is control freak and an abusive psychopath.
Screenwriter Robert Getchell (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) has crafted a story that had a surprising amount of balance considering the subject matter and considering the screenplay is based on a book by the real Tobias. We expect a one-sided look at an abusive monster, like Faye Dunaway's Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, but we get much more than that. It was impressive that Tobias is not painted as an innocent angel in this story. He spends pretty much the first half of the film staying in trouble at school and lying to everyone about everything. We also expect Dwight to be beating the hell out of Tobias for the entire running time, but we don't get that either. Dwight's abuse is mental and emotional, and about control. Dwight doesn't actually strike Tobias until the final third of the film.
And this is the primary reason why this movie is so compelling. We see the potential for physical abuse and as every scene rolls across the screen, we find ourselves on pins and needles wondering how Dwight's need for complete control of his family is going to manifest itself. An almost Hitchcock-like suspense is created throughout the film as the viewer waits and wonders about what Dwight is going to do next and will Tobias be able to escape.
It's very smart the way beginning of the film firmly establishes that Caroline has a history of picking the wrong man. Even if Tobias didn't bring it up in his narration, it's Caroline's actions that bring this to light. I loved the scene where Dwight and Caroline get married...possibly the shortest movie wedding ever and during the brief shot of the pair listening to their vows, they both look miserable. Also loved when Caroline was telling Tobias about her plans to work for the Kennedy campaign but shuts up the second Dwight comes through the door.
Michael Caton-Jones brings the story home with in your face direction that gives this story a voyeuristic feel, but it's what he does with these actors that earns him the credit regarding making this film work. De Niro has played his share of greasy characters over the years, but he has rarely been more menacing than he is here, and does a lot of the menacing with a big ol' smile on is face, making him even more menacing. Barkin is nicely controlled as the tragic Caroline, but it is DiCaprio who keeps this film sizzling with an explosive performance that leaps off the screen. The work of these three actors alone makes this film worth the time.
Kinetic direction and a trio of powerhouse performances from the leads make a fact-based drama from 1993 called This Boy's Life well worth investing in.
Caroline (Ellen Barkin) is a single mother who decides to start a new life in Seattle with her teenage son, Tobias (Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio) and finds herself beginning a relationship with an outwardly charming mechanic named Dwight (Oscar winner Robert De Niro). When Toby starts acting out at school, Caroline decides to send Toby to live with Dwight in the neighboring town of Concrete, where it slowly comes to light that Dwight is control freak and an abusive psychopath.
Screenwriter Robert Getchell (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore) has crafted a story that had a surprising amount of balance considering the subject matter and considering the screenplay is based on a book by the real Tobias. We expect a one-sided look at an abusive monster, like Faye Dunaway's Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, but we get much more than that. It was impressive that Tobias is not painted as an innocent angel in this story. He spends pretty much the first half of the film staying in trouble at school and lying to everyone about everything. We also expect Dwight to be beating the hell out of Tobias for the entire running time, but we don't get that either. Dwight's abuse is mental and emotional, and about control. Dwight doesn't actually strike Tobias until the final third of the film.
And this is the primary reason why this movie is so compelling. We see the potential for physical abuse and as every scene rolls across the screen, we find ourselves on pins and needles wondering how Dwight's need for complete control of his family is going to manifest itself. An almost Hitchcock-like suspense is created throughout the film as the viewer waits and wonders about what Dwight is going to do next and will Tobias be able to escape.
It's very smart the way beginning of the film firmly establishes that Caroline has a history of picking the wrong man. Even if Tobias didn't bring it up in his narration, it's Caroline's actions that bring this to light. I loved the scene where Dwight and Caroline get married...possibly the shortest movie wedding ever and during the brief shot of the pair listening to their vows, they both look miserable. Also loved when Caroline was telling Tobias about her plans to work for the Kennedy campaign but shuts up the second Dwight comes through the door.
Michael Caton-Jones brings the story home with in your face direction that gives this story a voyeuristic feel, but it's what he does with these actors that earns him the credit regarding making this film work. De Niro has played his share of greasy characters over the years, but he has rarely been more menacing than he is here, and does a lot of the menacing with a big ol' smile on is face, making him even more menacing. Barkin is nicely controlled as the tragic Caroline, but it is DiCaprio who keeps this film sizzling with an explosive performance that leaps off the screen. The work of these three actors alone makes this film worth the time.