A movie only for die-hard Leo fans

Rating: 3/10 (13 March 2000)

The last time most moviegoers saw Leonardo DiCaprio, he was Jack, frozen to death next to a sinking Titanic and a shivering Rose. It took the currents two years to carry him to Thailand and wash him ashore on "The Beach," which supposedly represents heaven or paradise. At the end of this film, two realizations dawn on the audience: Paradise doesn't exist. And the currents didn't do anyone a favor when defrosting DiCaprio and returning him to the screen.
This time, "Leo" returns as Richard, an American who cuts all ties to explore the world and find adventure. Thailand seems the perfect place for him, with bustling streets, exotic beaches, and like-minded adventurous people. Initially, the film seems to pose the question of the purpose of traveling: Are we open-minded explorers, or just tourists looking for the familiar? And it comes up with an answer surprisingly critical of the nation that, thanks to McDonald's and Coke, has made it easy to settle for the familiar abroad. The adventurers in this movie come from England, France, or Scandinavia, rather than from America. Unfortunately, this challenge of the usual expectations of traveling already presents the only truly provoking thought.
In Thailand, Richard dives into the life of the street and meets fellow adventurers. One of them, Daffy, worn out by drugs and sun, tells him a story about a mysterious beach on an unpopulated island. Robert Carlyle, as Daffy, is a perfect cast; his role appears hardly different from the villain in the last James Bond movie. Before he commits suicide, he provides Richard with a map of this secret island. After convincing a French couple, Etienne and Francoise, to join him, the three set out on a dangerous journey to the hidden place. Upon their arrival, they find a small community of adventurers fulfilling their own dreams of paradise. A set of rules regulate their everyday life, mainly stressing the importance of the secret of its existence; overpopulation would endanger their small world. Predictably, rules are broken, and the realization that heaven doesn't exist, and paradise can turn into a nightmare, is so trivial that it's hard to believe this provides the only message of "The Beach."
The characters' preoccupation with the bright side of life stands out in the film. Beautiful nature (Thailand can expect a rise in tourists next summer), beautiful women (Virginie Ledoyen convinces as Kate Winslet's successor), and drug use make up the main part of the movie. At least the latter doesn't come as a surprise: director Danny Boyle is best known for his film "Trainspotting." The director's influence on "The Beach" remains, however, almost invisible, because it's "Leo time": DiCaprio's handprint is all over the movie. With confidential and superfluous addresses to the viewer, he draws him on his side, makes him a companion. Stealing a girlfriend, cheating, breaking the rules of the community, lying, and ultimately being responsible for the death of about half a dozen people makes for an impressive list of immoral achievements. Yet DiCaprio is cast as hero from beginning to end. The producers seemed to think that, just by being "Leo," he would get away with it.
Maybe the concept works for the huge teen fan base he has attracted since Titanic. A more mature audience, however, has to question the morality presented in "The Beach," and wonder what else DiCaprio will try to get away with . Wherever he will be washed ashore in his next movie - after "The Beach," he won't be able to rely on past credits anymore.