Opened: April 23, 1993

Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Jonah Blechman, Eliza Dushku, Chris Cooper, Carla Gugino, Zack Ansley, Tracey Ellis, Kathy Kinney, Tobey Maguire, Michael Bacall, Gerrit Graham, Sean Murray, Bill Dow & Lee Wilkof

An early performance from Leonardo DiCaprio shows the promise of what his career has entailed.

Toby Wolff (DiCaprio) and his mom Caroline (Ellen Barkin) frequently move around as she looks for love. She falls for Dwight (Robert De Niro) and moves her and Toby in with his family. Dwight and Toby have a volatile relationship that often ends in physical aggression.

Though there are slow moments, the strong dynamic of De Niro and DiCaprio’s performances will keep you interested. De Niro finds the highs and lows in Dwight’s emotional abuse.

However, there are characters that don’t get developed enough. It would’ve been interesting to dive more into Caroline’s story. Toby also has a gay friend, Arthur (Jonah Blechman), but we don’t get to see the evolution of this friendship.

Final say: More life that could’ve been seen. ★★★☆☆