This Boy's Life (1993)

The story about the relationship between a rebellious 1950s teenager and his abusive stepfather, 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, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Barkin

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Dwight
Ellen Barkin	...	Caroline
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Toby
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:

marital abuse | gay friend | anal rape | bus | child driving a car | 

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Taglines:

A true story based on the award-winning book by Tobias Wolff.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonardo DiCaprio admitted that when filming the scene in which Toby finally defies Dwight, he screamed "Noooo!" at the top of his lungs, which cracked up the cast and crew.

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Goofs

During the finger cutting scene, the finger shown in close up with special effects is not the finger shown when the camera pans back to original shot.

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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

References The Searchers (1956)

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Soundtracks

Mi Casa, Su Casa
Performed by Perry Como

User Reviews

Leo's movie

The title got it right. This is Leonardo's movie through and through. You can't wait for him to get away from his ineffectual Mother and his Stepfather. Not many young actors could hold their own with DeNiro, but Leonardo succeeds beautifully. See this movie if you still have any doubts about his acting ability; for once, the 12-year-old girls got it right by anointing him the actor of this generation.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

This Boy's Life

Filming Locations:

Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,425, 11 April 1993

Gross USA:

$4,104,962

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,104,962

Company Credits

Production Co:

Knickerbocker Films, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1