Leonardo DiCaprio is without a doubt one of the biggest successes of a modern movie star in the traditional sense of the term.
The man can still sell a film on just his name and looks alone, and has his share of praise and talent to back it up. His best friend Tobey Maguire hasn’t done badly for himself, either, with his own career in lead roles. With the exception of “Celebrity” featuring DiCaprio and “Spider-man 3” on Maguire’s end, both performers have impressively starred in mainly hits since achieving fame.
One project that seems to have been pushed under the rug the last two decades is a low-budget, independent feature called “Don’s Plum” from 1996. The ensemble drama features DiCaprio and Maguire right before they would break through in film. It co-stars “Entourage’s” Kevin Connolly, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” Amber Benson, child actress turned alt-rocker Jenny Lewis, Marissa Ribisi and siblings Jeremy and Meadow Sisto.
The movie is famous for inexplicably being banned from release in the U.S. and Canada while it was in post-production by DiCaprio and Maguire, who filed a lawsuit.
The lack of release of such a big-name film led to curiosity from many fans. Over the years, a few European DVD copies have been uploaded to the Internet, and bits and pieces of the film are on YouTube.
From what can be seen, the film was shot entireyl in black and white and features the characters spending the majority of the runtime in a local diner called Don’s Plum. From the way the actors speak and react to each other, it would appear that a lot of the dialogue was probably improvised.
Former young actor and peer of the cast, R.D. Robb, lent his only directing credit to “Don’s Plum,” and Lewis’ Rilo Kiley bandmate and former child actor Blake Sennett had a hand in the film’s score. It’s is almost like a student film between friends, but with famous faces.
One theory about why DiCaprio and Maguire were so insistent on the film disappearing could be sheer embarrassment from how juvenile the movie and performances come across.
None of the characters is particularly likable, even from just a couple of scenes online. Leo, Tobey, Lewis and the rest of the cast have all made names for themselves in show business, and the lack of “Don’s Plum” on their résumé hasn’t made a difference.
Although it is interesting to see all the stars young again and right on the cusp of stardom, fans might have to stick with re-watching “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Troop Beverly Hills” and “The Ice Storm.”
As for “Don’s Plum,” it’s safe to say the indie flick will continue to stay in Hollywood obscurity.
mbianco@durangoherald.com. Megan Bianco is a movie reviewer and also contributes other entertainment related features and articles.
