Ode to Leo

It’s nice to see that my teenage crush, Leonardo DiCaprio is still alive and kicking. Not only has he remained relevant, but like a fine wine he has gotten better with age. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like he is slowing down anytime soon. When I looked up his vast filmography, I found that he has 22 projects “in development.” Bravo Leo, you totally rock! After being blown away by his role in Inception, I have decided to take a stroll down Leo Lane and comment on his past failures and successes.

This Boy's Life

1993 – This Boy’s Life – Leo breaks onto the scene in this powerful drama with a bang. This is the fist time, I remember seeing him and he manages to hold his own with Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin. He does an amazing job playing a rebel 50’s teen with an abusive father in the film adaption of Tobias Wolff’s memoirs.

1993 – What’s Eating Gilbert Grape – He earns his first Oscar nomination for his role as Arnie Grape, a mentally challenged 17 year-old boy. Leo should get props for the mere fact that he kept my attention while standing next to a sexy longhaired Johnny Depp. He also does some pretty fantastic acting in this as well.

1995 – The Quick and the Dead – Although this movie should probably go in the failure column (according to critics), I liked it. The lines are cheesy, a great cast of actors (including Gene Hackman and Russell Crowe) over act, and the storyline is weak. This movie is so bad that in my opinion it’s good. Sharon Stone also looks smoking hot in it. Leo’s role is short and he doesn’t even have a name. I think he is actually billed as Kid.

The Basketball Diaries

1995 – The Basket Ball Diaries – This is one of my favorite coming of age/ NYC drug related memoirs. The film rendition of this biography is exceptional. This remains today one of my most watched Leo films. He undoubtedly has one of his signature crying/emotional breakdowns in this movie, when he is begging him mom to let him in the house. That aside, I feel he did a phenomenally realistic job playing a heroin addict. He especially shines in the hard-core withdrawal scenes.

Calling on horny high school girls, Leo is about to embark on his teen heartthrob/ romantic phase. (Btw I am included in this madness)

Romeo & Juliet

1996 – Romeo & Juliet – This is the defining moment where Leo became the object of teenage fantasy. This movie was unprecedented. Baz Luhrmann dreamed up a colorful masterpiece. I am and always was an avid Shakespeare fan. I was at first skeptical of the concept of keeping the original dialogue and placing it in modern times. This hip modern visual adaptation was a groundbreaking experience for me as an angst-ridden teen. Leo’s romantic performance left myself and all my friends desperately wanting to see more of him.

1997- Titanic – You knew this one was coming even though most people wish it wasn’t. I am not even going to comment on this movie. Suffice to say, this was the movie that catapulted our dear Leo to stardom. He had a really hard time choosing movies after this one. He didn’t want to chase the fame or be pigeonholed into playing only one type of role. This newfound life of celebrity status led to a string of bad movies. Some of those disastrous films were: The Man in the Iron Mask, Celebrity, and The Beach.

And then there was a saving grace for Leo… Martin Scorsese.

2002 – Gangs of New York - This was the first of four movies that Leo would collaborate with Scorsese. Gangs was Leo's return to acting for the sake of acting. All the bull shit that plagued him evaporated during the making of this film. He proved that he could hold his own again in a story that was anything but romantic. He seemed to relish the action, blood, and guts. He was able to regain his acting chops with a performance that depicted a much more mature Leo. In my opinion, going toe-to-toe with Daniel Day Lewis made him a better actor.

Catch Me If  You Can

2002- Catch Me If You Can – I loved this movie. Leo proved that he had a knack for the light and funny after the darkness of Gangs of New York. This began a little trip for him into the true stories phase of his career.

2004 – The Aviator – In his second Scorsese film, Leo plays a complex role and nails it. His portrayal of Howard Hughes led to another impeccable performance. He was nominated for an Oscar but unfortunately was overlooked.

In 2006, he continued his road to success with two great roles in The Departed and Blood Diamond.

2010 was a very good for Leo. He had two remarkable performances in highly complex films.

Shutter Island – This was his fourth collaboration with Martin Scorsese who was obviously highly influenced by Hitchcock. I was surprised by how much I actually liked this movie. Usually when a movie takes forever to come out it usually means they are trying to make it better with editing. Despite Scorsese’s reputation of being meticulous, this movie was extremely delayed. I was wrong. This moving was entertaining from the beginning to the end and beautifully shot. Leo did an amazing job and improved his Boston accent from his Departed days. How can you go wrong when you have such talented actors working together? Thank you Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo for playing with Leo on this one.

Inception – I am not going to be one of those people who ruins an intricate movie like this one. I will just say that it is a must see. Christopher Nolan has been amazing since Memento and he remains one of the best directors of my generation. The film is mind-bending and a visual explosion. Leo plays his role with grace and style. A cast that performs brilliantly supports him. Bravo.

Inception

Here’s to you, Leo! Thanks for evolving from my teenage fantasy into a superb actor. Can’t wait to see you as J. Edgar Hoover! Hope you look good in a dress!