Redundant and unnecessary.

Awesome Movie

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

There are times when you get sad and the task at hand seems so hard. What you don't realize is that there are people who have faced times harder, and done equally challenging things.This story is one such narrative of a boy from a small town with a mother trying to get settled somewhere. As the attempts of settling at a new city goes on, she meets a guy(de niro). It is via this guy that she realizes that she could settle down for herself and her son (do caprio). As an when their lives get intertwined, di caprio faces angst from deniro and tries to get a future for himself out of the small town. This is his struggle to learn, to get a direction and to survive!Follow Tobias Wolff's memoir into his journey beyond the brutality and the hopelessness.For all the depth, I give this movie an 8 on 10

As time goes by, I'm starting to realize how much of a talent Di Caprio was in his youth. I wonder what went wrong... I also ponder upon a question why movies like "This Boy's Life" don't hit the big screen anymore? When did film making become a shallow business with it's only interest in profits."This Boy's Life" is anything but a classic Hollywood blockbuster. It's a slice of life presented both in it's best and worst. And life is not like a film either... Being young, smart and trapped in a behindhand environment is tough, often frustrating and inhibiting. It's a first major battle in a war called survival, a battle that would set a young man on it's way and pave the road to his future. Being alone in such a struggle is not easy, and young Toby Wolff would feel it on his skin quite some. Well, maybe not completely alone. Toby's mother tries hard to soldier on in life, and yet, she lacks the energy and will to make that final push. In the absence of a father figure, fourteen year old Tobias endeavors to model himself on his own, fighting not only his inner demons, but also a harsh, inert and primitive surrounding portrayed in the character of Dwigh and the village of Concrete. Will he succeed and break away? It's all in his hands...The entire cast made a remarkable job - Di Caprio for one, followed by Ellen Barkin and Robert De Niro, as well as rest of the team. A tribute would also deservedly go to all of the technical crew, scriptwriter and director. Even without the real-life reference at the end, it's quite obvious this story was written by life itself, which makes it that special and unique. "This Boy's Life" is a good story well portrayed, and as such it rightfully earns it's 10 points. More flicks like this, please!This also presents a small jubilee, since it is my 50th review here on IMDb (including the needlessly removed one). Cheers!

This Boys Life A Review by Ashley "I SEE YOUR SPOTS LEOPARD!" If I were to explain to you what this movie is actually about it would really put you off. It could make you not even want to see the movie. That being said, this movie is a total gem! It was a boring, hot, sunny afternoon and there was absolutely nothing to watch on television. I was literally flipping through channels when somewhere along the line I decided that a slow paced, uncomfortable, movie about child abuse on Showcase would do. I soon realized that the child being abused was Leonardo DiCaprio and the person doing the abusing was none other than Robert De Niro. This movie is pretty much non- stop action, and by action I mean child abuse. If you hate Robert De Niro this may not be a good movie for you to watch because it will make you hate him even more. This Boy's Life is an incredibly thorough movie; all the main groups of abuse are represented: emotional, physical, psychological and even financial abuses are present throughout. One of the best scenes is when Robert De Niro crams an old mustard jar into Leonardo DiCaprio's eye to teach him a lesson about wasting condiments. This movie has it all, sad drunk driving, awkward gay teens and a bulldog!The sad fact is this movie is actually based on a true story. But, I prefer to forget that and just enjoy the ride.

I only saw the second half of this movie, but I was glued to the screen the entire time. I was absolutely enthralled by the storyline and the excellent acting by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The movie, from what I gathered, is about Tobias Wolff's life in a town called Concrete, living with his abusive stepfather and his mother. The chemistry between De Niro and DiCaprio is stunning, with the set and the clothes matching the time period extremely well. To those who have the chance to see this movie, I highly recommend it. I desperately want to see the first half, in order to satisfy my curiosity. My only regret is that the mother, Caroline, didn't have much character development to her. If she had some further explanation to describe why she didn't just leave Dwight Hanson (the stepfather), then this movie would be perfect.