The movie version of the book, How Old is Leonardo DiCaprio in Gailbert! by Leo DiCaprio is a serious flop. I saw it and thought it was terrible. Then I saw it a second time and I admit that I enjoyed it a bit more than I enjoyed the first time.
The book is about a young man – who is very sick and young at heart (he is a young boy, leopard-print and all). We soon learn that this young man, Leon (Leo), is very intelligent and curious. He studies plants and takes great interest in learning about them. His father (visors) are very old and retired, so he is often taken care of. His Uncle Rico (Vincent LaBeouf) is a rich and aging former painter who tries to give him all the money he can: which is quite a lot.
The story line moves fast from one scene to another – The movie is cut with shots of Leon performing his experiments on plants. He grows some wild ones and tries to grow them into fruits. He then goes to a museum where he tries to grow a lion from a head that was frozen in an ice bucket. Eventually, he ends up with this very old and quite dead lion that lays dormant in ice.
DiCaprio plays the role of this very old lion – because he is played by youthful Mike De Luca. In interviews, he indicated that he actually wanted the role of such a beast because he saw youth and vitality in old animals – and what better way to depict these qualities in a role. The fact that DiCaprio is a great young actor also works in his favor. The director (nemo Gerson) needed someone young to embody the role of the aging lion. This is probably why he cast him.
Another young star of the film is Morgan Freeman – His presence in the film adds youthful appeal to the otherwise mature and sophisticated DiCaprio. There are many other supporting actors in this film. Some of the best include: Steve Martin, James Marsden, Ewan McGregor, and Sidney Poitier.
The movie “How Old Is Aging?” is not as exciting as some of the prior DiCaprio films, but it is still a fun watch. The visual and acting performances are both fantastic. If you have not seen this movie, then make sure you do!
