This Boy's Life

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Alejandro E Inspired by a memoir, this film may not be one of the best of the 1990s. However, it is DiCaprio and De Niro who give this true drama enough substance. Perfect for a cosy weekend viewing Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/26/25 Full Review r96 s 'This Boy’s Life' manages to produce an impressive feat: making me hate Robert De Niro! His character here, that is. I've only seen the guy in likeable roles, 'Meet the Parents' is as close as a portrayal has come to being unlikeable. Dwight, in this, is despicable! All the aforementioned is simply a plus point for the film, though. It's obviously not overly difficult to make a person garner hatred, but I do appreciate that we see how Dwight becomes the way he is - e.g. the shooting scene. It does get a touch repetitive at times, only minorly so. Not only does this flick have De Niro, it also has one Leonardo DiCaprio - in his first leading movie role, no less. Both are excellent throughout, positives can too be remarked about Ellen Barkin's performance. Elsewhere, youthful Tobey Maguire and Carla Gugino also appear. An uncomfortable watch, but it is a very good release from 1993. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/20/25 Full Review Stephen C Pride in 1 hour and 55 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can like anyone, anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/11/25 Full Review Audience Member I remember watching this over 5 years ago and rather enjoying it seeing a young Leonardo DiCaprio make way for himself A boys life can be whatever he wants it to be despite all the challenges involved Director Michael Caton-Jones adapts the true story of Tobias Wolff played by Leo himself co-starring with Ellen Barkin, Chris Cooper, Carla Gugino and Robert DiNiro Even a young Eliza Dushku and Tobey Maguire make their first appearances here It's 1957 and Toby and his mother Caroline move to Washington Caroline then meets a mechanic Dwight and falls in love But soon after Dwight becomes more demanding and creates a firm grip on both of them Toby wants to go to college in Pennsylvania on a full scholarship to make something of himself but Dwight is trying to diminish his dreams forcing him to stay stuck Caroline is also reluctant to separate from him This is a very good memoir about a young boy learning to grow up, adjust, asserting his independence, and being brave DeNiro perfectly plays an abusive alcoholic monster hitting both this mother and her son by any physical or emotional means He has his own insecurities and his manhood The last scene is very much the most intense cause it gets so dyer The film succeeds thanks to its unique cast and breakout performance by DiCaprio, he had the right amount of angst and emotion acting as a reservoir of conflict and feelings of displacement All he wants is to belong somewhere It's the epitome of being a teenager acting like everyone else just to fit in even if it means hurting others Who's the real insecure child here and who's the adult doing what's right? You gotta reach for the flames and take it otherwise you lose it forever Could've been shortened to an hour and a half and the abusive scenes are hard to watch But Jones makes a very atmospheric drama thats very-well acted showing it's never easy to grow up past childhood trauma but it's possible Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/23/24 Full Review Dean C I'm glad I discovered this hidden gem with 2 of my favourite actors, a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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