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 | anal rape | bus | child driving a car | fistfight | 

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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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

En främling i familjen

Filming Locations:

Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,425, 11 April 1993, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the movie's title, the real magazine "Boy's Life" is referred to and shown throughout as "Boy's Magazine".

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Goofs

When they're all having dinner after Caroline wins the shooting contest, Skipper asks Pearl for the salt and pepper and you can just about see that Pearl is not wearing glasses. But in the next shot of her, she is wearing glasses.

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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 Siskel & Ebert: This Boy's Life/The Sandlot/Indecent Proposal/Bodies, Rest & Motion/The Abyss (1993)

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Soundtracks

Teach Me Tonight
Music by Gene de Paul and Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Performed by Cherie De Castro

User Reviews

A true slice of life

This was an excellent tale of what some people's lives are really like. The acting was flawless, the story rang true, and the dialogue was some of the best ever. Barkin was perfect as the man crazy, brainless mother, and De Niro captured the role of a bullying, phoney drunk completely. Men do indeed act like this every day, and women allow them to. Don't miss this one.