Customer Reviews

This Boys Life

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Barkin, and Robert De Niro star in the drama "This Boy's Life" about the true life of Tobias Woolf. This highly dramatic movie contains many shocking scenes that may become eye openers to some. Such intensity keeps the audience closely watching every second. The extreme of it forces the audience to feel what every character feels. More than just the excellent screenplay writing acts out this task. The cast and crew brilliantly perform their roles.

Every actor assists with the audience impacts with their wonderful performances. No one holds back a drop of emotion from their characters. Robert De Niro wonderfully plays a child abuser. Though few will like the character, he'll be remembered by many. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Barkin brilliantly play the victims. This is more noticable in DiCaprio because the cruelty hits him the hardest. His closely-breaking-down parts are performed realisticly.

"This Boy's Life" is the movie for those who are looking for a power drama. Its impact will never be forgotten by anyone. Anyone who watches this movie will be entertained.

I have watched this movie many times on VHS. After I write this, I am going to order it on DVD. The issues it touches are single mothers, abusive fathers, and homosexuality. I have read all the reviews that other people wrote and didn't see this last topic touched upon. It also is intertwined with the issue of bullying. Two other boys look upon the gay boy as being weak just because he was gay. They convince Dwight (Leonardo) to pick a fight with this boy. The gay boy wins the fight and he and Leonardo become friends due to a mutual interest in playing the piano. Dwight, going to a new school at high school age, which is always a difficult adjustment, is desperately in need of friends. This was very moving to me.
In addition, there is a wonderful conclusion to Dwight's problems with his abusive father (Robert Deniro). I disagree with the reviewer who disliked the ending. Watch this movie. It is so overlooked. Yet it is one of my favorites-a very moving experience.

"This Boy's Life" is based on the autobiographical novel by Tobias Wolff. The movie follows the story of the young boy Toby "Jack" Wolff (Leonardo DiCaprio), a rebel boy who seems to dislike every school and every town that he is in. His mother Caroline (Ellen Barkin), an attractive single woman, keeps searching for a decent man that would take care of her and her son. She finally seems to know the One, when she meets Dwight Hansen (Robert De Niro), a respectful guy. But after a few months living with him, Caroline and Jack realize that Dwight is a bully with a strong need to dominate every one around him. So now things get difficult to both of them.

"This Boy's Life" is a charming drama with strong performances by the great Robert De Niro and the attractive Ellen Barkin, but Leonardo DiCaprio steals the show from them; I actually think that he was a better actor when he was younger, he is good now, but in this movie and in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" he was brilliant.

Anyway, "This Boy's Life" is an enjoyable film. If you like De Niro's work, DiCaprio's work or Ellen Barkin's work, then you should see this one.

I have been waiting for this one to come out on DVD as it really is a ground breaking experience to see one of Leonardo's start and with Robert De Niro you see a head on crash with two people a boy and his Step Father. De Niro is a raging Father and Leo is stuck in a life and wants out no matter what. Leo holds his cool but ends up fighting as De Niro won't budge. Well watch this one and see how Leo's started his grear career with a big take off of his acting ability with De Niro. - Anonymous

While other actors in his age group (and some peers of his today) chose to play the teeny-bopper type, young Leonardo DiCaprio took a major chance to play a perfect breakthrough role. Most people have never heard of this movie (mostly do to the sterotyping of the late nineties) and I believe that most people should see this movie. Leonardo found his niche back in April of 1993 and has never given it up. Leonardo does intelligent drama. Hey, look at Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can. Gangs of New York has even proven itself to go over the heads of ignorant (and rather uneducated) American critics (who should have read more about the movie before seeing it).Maybe that's why Leonardo gets all of his major awards overseas, but not in his own country!!! Caton-Jones, who directed DiCaprio in This Boy's Life called him "the thinking women's crumpet." And he was right. If the Academy wanted to give an award to a younger actor, they should have nominated and awarded it to Leonardo DiCaprio. Ten years from now, Leonardo will still be doing intelligent drama.

How inspired would you be if a town called Concrete (Washington State) were suddenly your new home? That's where single mom Caroline (Barkin) and her teenage boy Jack (DiCaprio) land, seeking a fresh start. And this time, she's determined to make her marriage work.

Based on a true story, Caroline meets Dwight (De Niro), who apparently offers stability, steady pay and a father figure for Jack. They move in to Dwight's house although he has a wedding night surprise for Caroline.

Dwight immediately begins to mentor Jack through Boy Scouts, a paper route and boxing lessons. Despite good intentions, Dwight begins to reveal himself as a loud, selfish and crude man who uses such slang as "road apples" and "shut your pie hole." Dwight continues to goad and humiliate Jack until the teen learns that an odd friend he's made may be able to phony up his test scores just enough to be admitted to a distant school. But Caroline's and Jack's actual escape turns out to be quite a bit more violent.

This Boy's Life, a memoir written by Tobias Wolff, has become a classic of literature included in school curriculum. The movie version which is well-directed, respects the book up to a certain point. The book goes on where the movie finishes off however, the film is fast-paced and interesting, an especially good choice for adolescents.

This is one of those cases where the book is WAY better than the movie. The graphic gratuitous sex scenes are not in the book, and as Tobias Wolff himself has wondered, since signing over the rights, and I'm paraphrasing, "This is a story which is seen through a kid's eyes; How would the kid have known what was going on inside his Mother's bedroom?" It looks like the movie makers just wanted to throw in some gratuitous T & A garbage.
Another thing: in the book, Dwight, the father, is abusive, yes; however, he is also so pitiful and bumpkinesque that he evokes as much laughter as he does villification. In the movie, Dwight is a 2-dimension stereotypical alcoholic abuser and that's all.
Read the book.

I was quite sad after finishing the book "This Boy's Life" because it was such a well written book about times past and innocence lost. I rushed to rent the movie from Blockbusters and was quite disappointed. Many details were missing and some were overly dramatized, such as the scene of the wedding night between Dwight and Toby's mother. Call me old timer, if you want, but I thought it was unnecessary to be so graphic since the book certainly didn't give the details of sodomy, although I should have expected it in Hollywood productions.

The book was far better. I don't suppose movies can quite capture the details of a book, perhaps only its essence. I must say the movie captures the essense well.

Also, it was listed as a True Story in the beginning of the movie. It should have been called True Dramatized Story instead.

Week after week complete and utter tripe (in dvd format) is pumped out by hollywood to feed the brainless masses who couldn't name a good movie if their life depended on it. What i'm trying to convey to you is this; Releasing some of these "movies" on dvd, to me, is unjustified simply for the fact that the acting quality rivals that of a daytime soap, as does the plot and most other aspects. If you're lost please see "she's all that" , "little nicky" , "bring it on" etc.
Why then, I ask you when a quality film exists. A film with thought provoking themes, excellent acting, exceptional plot, superb character portrail and featuring I dare say the best actor of our times in Robert De Niro. Why does this film not gain a dvd release. I can say without hesitation that "This boy's life" is one of the best movie's I have ever seen, and trust me I've seen a hell of alot over the years.
It's verging on 2003, VHS will soon be obsolete, so please i beg you oh hollywood, please do this masterpiece justice and release it on dvd already