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The surprise here is the film's fresh and jazzy tone (augmented by one of John Williams' most interesting scores). Spielberg has never done anything like this; while it still has his trademarks--an assured point of view, technical genius, strong character focus--but it's also drenched in a newfound playfulness. This sense of fun permeates the performances, which still manage to have an edge of maturity and introspection to them. DiCaprio gives an energetic yet measured turn as a young man acting out every schoolboy fantasy, enjoying the high life and trying to ignore his demons. Hanks is superb as the grumpy workaholic, fed up with the silly antics of everyone around him. His personal life is even more frustrating than his professional one, yet he somehow keeps it all in perspective. As the film progresses it feels almost effortless in its brisk pacing and colourful design. The themes are refreshingly subtle, even though Spielberg knows how to punch all the right buttons to make sure we don't miss the point. With its extended epilogue, the film feels about a half-hour too long, but the story is so good and there are so many fabulous set pieces that you can't imagine leaving anything out.