This Boy's Life (1993)

The story about the relationship between a rebellious 50s teenager and his abusive father, based on the memoirs of writer and literature professor Tobias Wolff.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

Tobias Wolff (book), Robert Getchell (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Leonardo DiCaprio

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Dwight Hansen
Ellen Barkin	...	Caroline Wolff Hansen
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Tobias 'Toby' Wolff
Jonah Blechman	...	Arthur Gayle
Eliza Dushku	...	Pearl
Chris Cooper	...	Roy
Carla Gugino	...	Norma
Zachary Ansley	...	Skipper (as Zack Ansley)
Tracey Ellis	...	Kathy
Kathy Kinney	...	Marian
Robert Zameroski	...	Arch Cook (as Bobby Zameroski)
Tobey Maguire	...	Chuck Bolger
Tristan Tait	...	Jerry Huff
Travis MacDonald	...	Psycho
Richard Liss	...	A&P Manager

Storyline

In 1957, a son and mother flee the East and an abusive boyfriend to find a new life, and end up in Seattle, where the mother meets a polite garage mechanic. The boy continually gets into trouble by hanging out with the wrong crowd. The mom marries the mechanic, but they soon find out that he's an abusive and unreasoning alcoholic, and they struggle to maintain hope in an impossible situation as the boy grows up with plans to escape the small town by any means possible. Based on a true story by Tobias Wolff.

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Plot Keywords:

mechanic | small town | child driving car | teenage boy | melancholy | 

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Taglines:

He looked like the ideal husband. He seemed like the perfect father. That's just what they needed. But that's not what they got.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Vida Deste Rapaz

Filming Locations:

Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

$4,104,962 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Knickerbocker Films, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tobey Maguire first auditioned for the part of Toby but director Michael Caton-Jones thought he wasn't right for the role. Leonardo DiCaprio, who is close friends with Maguire, still wanted him to be a part of the film so he got him the role of Toby's friend Chuck Bolger.

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Goofs

Injured finger that's still bandaged months later in the timeline of the story.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tobias 'Toby' Wolff: It was 1957. We were driving from Florida to Utah. After my mother was beaten up by her boyfriend, we got in the Nash and high-tailed it for the uranium fields. We were gonna get rich and change our luck, which hadn't been so hot since our family broke up five years back.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Inception/Predators/The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Summertime Blues"
Written by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart
Performed by Eddie Cochran

User Reviews

Great acting

What is best about "This Boy's Life" is the acting. Don't get me wrong, though, the film in itself is also good; it's rather disturbing when you think about the fact that it is based upon a true story. But the acting… 1993 must be Leonardo DiCaprio's best year as an actor yet, his portrayal of Toby in this film is very good, and he was absolutely sensational in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?". Robert De Niro is also very good in the film, he manages to bring forward the brutal side of his character while he also lets the audience know that Dwight is a very childish man. Ellen Barkin is also good. And it was fun to see Tobey Maguire in an early role as Toby's friend -- I didn't even now that he was supposed to be in the film until there he was! Good film with really impressive acting by the three leads. (6/10)