Plot:The story about the relationship between a rebellious 50s teenager and his abusive father, based on the memoirs of writer and literature professor Tobias Wolff.
The film is based on the memoirs of writer Tobias Wolff as he and his mother endured five years of hell with this very provincial man who is trapped in the small town mentality of Concrete, Washington during the 1950s.
DiCaprio plays Tobias 'Toby' Wolff, a rebellious teen of the 1950s. After heading South with his mother Caroline (Ellen Barkin), they wind up in the charmingly titled Concrete, USA.Hoping for a fresh start after breaking up with an abusive boyfriend, Caroline gets involved with Dwight Hansen (De Niro).DeNiro with his great ear for voices and accents perfectly captures the role of stepfather Dwight Hansen, a man with a terrible inferiority complex who takes it out on his stepson.He (mostly) resists the temptation to go overboard, and thoroughly convinces as an abusive bully.De Niro is careful too the way he shows to us what a thoroughly reprehensible monster he is. Like the little glance he gives us when he learns Caroline's a better shot than him. And then once they're married, his grip closes like a vice, allowing him to cut loose.
In his breakout role, Leonardo DiCaprio works wonders. He brings a superb eagle-eyed maturity to Toby. here he's got this character nailed. The way he rotates from frustrated to rebellious and (rare moments of) happiness is just marvellous.
The ending is quite satisfying too. The inevitable confrontation between Dwight and Toby. I was half expecting it to devolve into a standard psycho-thriller, but This Boy's Life is too smart for that. It's still quite violent, but its an ending that feels true to life.
A tight, realistic script and very emotionally raw performances from all three leads do an absolutely superb job here of showing the immense toll that abuse (both of the physical and emotional sorts) can take on a person over a period of time.
3.5/5
two thumbs up.
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