DiCaprio has received considerable praise, so one would imagine he wouldn’t have given many underappreciated performances. However, as time has gone on, the DiCaprio Canon has really come to focus on a select few performances: Titanic, Catch Me If You Can, and the Scorsese films, pushing out some quite excellent performances in some truly fascinating films.
This Boy’s Life (1993)
DiCaprio co-starred with Robert DeNiro in this film, which was based on the memoir by Tobias Wolff, the same year that he received an Oscar nomination for his work in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. This Boy’s Life is a good little movie and an even better indication than Gilbert Grape that Leonardo DiCaprio was bound for big things in Hollywood. It is of historical interest to see Scorsese’s former muse, De Niro cross paths with his future muse DiCaprio.
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
After experiencing success in 1993, DiCaprio returned in 1995 with three films: Total Eclipse, The Basketball Diaries, and this more well-known Western. DiCaprio was heavily featured as a hotshot quick-draw specialist, but the main focus of The Quick and the Dead was Sharon Stone giving the western a female spin for director Sam Raimi. Another opportunity for DiCaprio to establish himself in front of a Hollywood legend, in this case, Gene Hackman, presented itself.
Marvin’s Room (1996)
Marvin’s Room has mostly been forgotten despite receiving three SAG nominations, including Best Ensemble Cast and an Oscar nomination for Diane Keaton as Best Actress. This is unfortunate because it’s a really fantastic movie with DiCaprio, Keaton, and Meryl Streep at its core, resolving some complex family issues. Through the strength of its principal performers, the movie mostly transcends its weepie foundations.
Celebrity (1998)
DiCaprio lost no time in adopting his newly acquired movie-star persona following the Titanic craze. DiCaprio plays a wayward young star in Celebrity, a black-and-white, hit-or-miss comedy about movie stars in Los Angeles, where his bad behavior is continually tolerated. Leo’s own infamous “Pussy Posse” persona being alluded to subtly? Nearly likely. However, despite its poor popularity, the movie was an essential milestone in Leo’s separation from the teen idol model.
The Beach (2000)
The Beach by Danny Boyle is mainly seen as a flop, largely because there were hopes that Leo would score another huge hit barely three years after Titanic. With 15 years of hindsight, the movie is far more interesting than it was given credit for, despite complaints from critics and a largely absent audience. I’d watch it before some of DiCaprio’s other, more popular movies, even though it’s far from perfect.
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