Oh look. A
true story. We haven’t had one of those in a while… I stumbled onto this film
after a particularly tough day at work. Apart from it being that wonderful
combination of tense yet uplifting – it’s an early 90’s film, based on the
autobiography of the hero so obviously he overcame his difficulties, it really
did set me thinking. I am a great fan of watching films or reading books like
this. It is always educational to see the lives of those who have had it
tougher than you and put your life into perspective. Even if you are of the
mentality that says “oh that will never happen to me” (and believe me I AM one
of those people), it does help to know that it occasionally happens to
somebody. I don’t really agree with people who are too against “rosy endings”
and “false hope” even though I have ranted about unrealistic solutions to
onscreen problems more than once. I think, so long as it is realistic or, as in
this case, an actual real story, hope is vital. It is, literally, what keeps us
alive. It isn’t really something you can have “too much” of. That’s why it’s
good to hear the stories of people who “made it” despite the odds. People like
Tobias Wolff.
Tobias
(Leonardo Di Caprio) and his mother Caroline (Ellen Barkin) live a rather
erratic life. Caroline is vivacious and full of life. True, their finances
never quite stack up and they do have the unsettling habit of upping sticks at
a moment’s notice and embarking on Caroline’s madcap ideas to get rich, but
Tobias enjoys it. It’s sad that his father who has divorced his mother and
moved to the East Coast with his older brother never calls but hey. They have
their own fun too. What Tobey doesn’t quite realise of course is that deep
down, despite her lack of organisation, his mother is worried, worried about
his future, about her future and about how much longer this lifestyle can
continue. That is why, when a particularly eligible looking beau, Dwight
(Robert DeNiro) comes along, Caroline seizes the chance. Seemingly it’s all
perfect, Dwight is also divorced, has children of his own of a close age to
Tobey and a steady job. Caroline takes the plunge and accepts his proposal so
the couple is married. This, it turns out very quickly, is a mistake. With the
two families merged, Dwight’s true nature comes to light, however this is the
50’s so divorce is not the easy option it is today. Tobey who has a tendency to
get bad grades and make unsuitable friends must use all his wits and courage to
stay sane and make it out of that house. ..
Now it was
strange watching this one. And I am not usually so unspecific with my
commentary but the first half has something wrong with it. I’m not entirely
sure what. It improves drastically with Robert DeNiro entering the story. I don’t
know what it is about the character of Caroline but something about her doesn’t
scan for me. It’s not Ellen Barkin – she is a fantastic, talented actress who I
have admired in many other films. I thought for a while it was the dialogue –
but then again… I don’t have a problem to that degree (I mean OK, I have seen
dialogue that is better written than this but still ) with the other characters
in the film. I don’t know, she’s a wonderful character, but she was a little
too… Generic? She is not, as you may have noticed, a typical mother figure. But
then again characters like Caroline are two-a-penny out there. The dreamers, the
ones who refuse to settle into being sensible. I think it’s a tad odd to make a
character like that generic, as one of these people, I can vouch for the fact
that we tend to be a rather eclectic bunch. I don’t know if it was the way she
was written (and I suspect this was a large factor) or Ellen Barkin having an
off-day (week/month) but… I don’t know I watched her with a constant sense of
deja-vu… Robert DeNiro is brilliant, as he always is as Dwight, and by that I
mean down-right scary and unpleasant. As for Leonardo DiCaprio, I did a double
take when I saw his age in the film and unless I have got my maths incredibly
wrong he is 19. He looks A LOT younger, I really need to look into this. I mean
he is brilliant but he looks 13 -14 to me… I have always been terrible at guessing
ages, but still…
For all the
faults I find in it, this is a great little number, and above and beyond
anything an incredible story. I found the film to drag a little in places which
makes me think the dialogue could have been better written but hey. I’m not
saying it’s going to change your world – and this film is not trying to do
that. It is just trying to tell its story in its own voice – and it’s being
spectacularly good at it.
Oh and
watch out for an equally young looking Tobey Maguire in a teeny-tiny part in
the second half!
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