This Boy's Life (1993)

Set in the mid 1950s, a young boy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his divorced mother (Ellen Barkin) move to the Pacific Northwest hoping that life will be better. When she remarries, things turn ugly when her new husband (Robert De Niro) turns out to be a tyrannical and abusive stepfather. Based on the autobiographical novel by Tobias Wolff and directed by Michael Caton Jones (MEMPHIS BELLE). A solid effort even if we suspect how everything will end up (and it does) that is elevated by a superior performance by a young DiCaprio. Only 19 but giving a performance as assured as any veteran actor. He balances the little thug with the sensitive adolescent with aplomb. As the mother, Ellen Barkin has less to work with but she brings a strong undercurrent of desperation to her part. As for De Niro, he's fine but we've seen this psycho performance from him before so it's not especially interesting. A fine portrait of teenage rebellion. With Chris Cooper, Eliza Dushku, Carla Gugino, Tobey Maguire, Gerrit Graham and Jonah Blechman.