7.3/10
40,116
85 user 40 critic

This Boy's Life (1993)

R | | Biography, Drama | 23 April 1993 (USA)
This Boy's Life Poster
Trailer
2:00 | Trailer

Watch Now

From $2.99 (HD) on Prime Video

ON DISC
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:

Writers:

(book), (screenplay)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
60
Reviews
Popularity
3,560 ( 1,224)
2 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 2 videos  »

Photos

See all 38 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Biography | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.

Director: Scott Kalvert
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol
Next »
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

After his father's death, Gilbert has to care for his mentally disabled brother, Arnie, and his morbidly obese mother, which is suddenly challenged when love walks into his life.

Director: Lasse Hallström
Stars: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis
Next »
Marvin's Room (1996)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A leukemia patient attempts to end a twenty-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.

Director: Jerry Zaks
Stars: Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton
Next »
Total Eclipse (1995)
Biography | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

Young, wild poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine engage in a fierce, forbidden romance while feeling the effects of a hellish artistic lifestyle.

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, David Thewlis, Romane Bohringer
Next »
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo
Next »
Don's Plum (2001)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

A group of Los Angeles teenagers meet every week at their local diner to discuss their latest misadventures in their miserable lives.

Director: R.D. Robb
Stars: Scott Bloom, Kevin Connolly, Tobey Maguire
Next »
The Beach I (2000)
Adventure | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

Vicenarian Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss. Excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it.

Director: Danny Boyle
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel York, Patcharawan Patarakijjanon
Next »
The Man in the Iron Mask I (1998)
Action | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

The cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother who he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?

Director: Randall Wallace
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich
Next »
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Action | Romance | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

A female gunfighter returns to a frontier town where a dueling tournament is being held, which she enters in an effort to avenge her father's death.

Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe
Next »
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.

Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald
Next »
The Aviator (2004)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A biopic depicting the early years of legendary Director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale
Next »
Awakenings (1990)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.

Director: Penny Marshall
Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Dwight
... Caroline
... Toby
... Arthur Gayle
... Pearl
... Roy
... Norma
... Skipper (as Zack Ansley)
... Kathy
... Marian
Robert Zameroski ... Arch Cook (as Bobby Zameroski)
... Chuck Bolger
Tristan Tait ... Jerry Huff
Travis MacDonald ... Psycho
Richard Liss ... A & P Manager
See full cast »
Edit

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. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

anal rape | marital abuse | mechanic | small town | gay teenager | See All (45) »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Biography | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

23 April 1993 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A Vida Deste Rapaz  »

Filming Locations:

 »
Edit

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,425, 11 April 1993, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,104,962
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonardo DiCaprio grew a few inches while shooting the film and he had to slouch in several scenes to look smaller next to Robert De Niro. See more »

Goofs

In the film, the children of Concrete go to high school in Chinook, as there is no high school in Concrete. In fact, Chinook is 268 miles away from Concrete, on the opposite end of the state. See more »

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.
See more »

Connections

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

Soundtracks

C'mon Everybody
Written by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart'
Performed by Eddie Cochran
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
A remarkably compelling piece of work, with groundbreaking performances by DeNiro and DiCaprio
9 February 2002 | by – See all my reviews

I heard of this movie before, but I had no knowledge of what it was about, and basically rented it because it looked good and Robert DeNiro is the star--my Number One favorite actor.

Well, DeNiro's performance is one of the high points of the film, and he is extraordinary as the abusive father who seems pleasant and jovial at times, but can turn violent when you push his buttons. Leonardo DiCaprio is also great, in one of the best performances of his career. Over the years, he's been gaining a reputation as a glamour guy. And that he is, but you must see his performance in this movie before regarding him as "just another pretty face." He was still in his early teens (I'm guessing) when he made this film, so this was a long time before he hit it big with "Titanic." Ellen Barkin is also good, but I wish her character could've been developed a little more. I kept wondering, during the course of the film, why she felt like withstanding Dwight's abuse for such a long period of time. In the beginning of the film, she's established as a free spirit--the kind of woman that romances a man, then drives off to another state to find her next man. Well, why didn't she do the same thing with this jerk? The film is based on a true story, so I'm sure she really did stay with him that long, but I just wanted to know her motives.

"This Boy's Life" is a solid, beautifully made slice-of-life that kept me glued to the screen from start to finish. The climax is an emotional powerhouse that made me want to stand up and cheer. Please check out this underrated masterpiece!

My score: 9 (out of 10)
61 of 68 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 85 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Action and Adventure Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial