| This Boy's Life | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Caton-Jones |
| Screenplay by | Robert Getchell |
| Based on | This Boy's Life byTobias Wolff |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Edited by | Jim Clark |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4.1 million[1] |
This Boy's Life (titled onscreen asThis Boy's Life: A True Story) is a 1993 Americanbiographicalcoming-of-agedrama film directed byMichael Caton-Jones. It is based on theeponymous memoir by authorTobias Wolff. The film starsLeonardo DiCaprio (in his theatrical film debut),Robert De Niro, andEllen Barkin. The cast also featuresChris Cooper, andCarla Gugino,Eliza Dushku, as well asTobey Maguire's first credited appearance in a feature-length film.
It was the first collaboration on-screen between Maguire and DiCaprio, who both later worked inDon's Plum (2001) andThe Great Gatsby (2013),[2][3] and also the first collaboration on-screen between DiCaprio and De Niro, who both later worked inMarvin's Room (1996), the short filmThe Audition (2015), andKillers of the Flower Moon (2023).
In the 1950s, nomadic and flaky Caroline Wolff wants to settle down and find a decent man to provide a better home for herself and her son, Tobias "Toby" Wolff. She moves toSeattle, Washington and meets Dwight Hansen, a man who seemingly meets her goals. However, Dwight's true personality is soon revealed as being emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive to Toby while Caroline is away for a few weeks.
The marriage proceeds, and Caroline and Toby move into Dwight's home inConcrete (Newhalem in the book), a small town near the north Cascades Mountains. Dwight's domineering personality is soon apparent, but Caroline remains with him, enduring several years of a dysfunctional relationship. During this time, Toby befriends a classmate named Arthur Gayle, a misfit at school and ambiguouslygay. Toby wants to leave Concrete and live with his older brother, Gregory, who lives on the East Coast with their father. Arthur wants to leave because he knows he will never fit in and that there is more to life than living in Concrete. Toby plans to apply for scholarships at East Coast preparatory schools by submitting falsified school records. Meanwhile, Arthur and Toby's friendship becomes strained when Arthur accuses Toby of behaving more like Dwight. Arthur helps Toby to falsify his grade records. After numerous rejections, Toby is accepted byThe Hill School inPottstown, Pennsylvania nearPhiladelphia with a full scholarship.
Later, Caroline defends Toby from Dwight during a physically violent argument; they both leave Dwight and the town of Concrete.
This Boy's Life is adapted fromTobias Wolff'smemoir of the same title, recounting his experiences with an abusive stepfather in the 1950s. The screen rights were acquired byPeter Guber, then head of Guber-Peters Productions atWarner Bros. Pictures, shortly after the memoir's 1989 publication. Following Guber's departure to leadSony Pictures Entertainment,Art Linson assumed the role of producer. Although Guber is credited as an executive producer, alongside his producing partnerJon Peters, Warner Bros. initially hesitated to produce the film, deeming it commercially unviable due to its child abuse story. Despite this, directorMichael Caton-Jones insisted on the project, and the studio relented due to Caton-Jones’s successful directorial track record.[4]
ScreenwriterRobert Getchell, after Guber obtained the rights, expressed interest in writing the script. Getchell, known for adapting Tobias Wolff's older brother's memoir,Geoffrey Wolff'sThe Duke of Deception, was captivated by the brothers' stories and eager to adapt the younger brother’s memoir. The film adaptation altered Geoffrey Wolff's name to "Gregory." Tobias Wolff also requested changes, such as renaming his mother from Rosemary to "Caroline" to reflect scenes created by Getchell that were not in the original book, depicting marital discord between his mother and stepfather. This alteration transformed the true story into a work of fiction, a fact initially contested by Wolff. However, upon viewing the finished film, Wolff approved, recognizing that his mother might be upset about the name change.[4]
This Boy's Life marked the cinematic debut of actorLeonardo DiCaprio, who portrayed "Toby" at seventeen years old during filming.Christian Bale was up for the role of Toby, but lost to DiCaprio.[5] Initially,Debra Winger was set to star as "Caroline" but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts, leading toEllen Barkin taking over the role. ActorRobert De Niro, playing the abusive stepfather "Dwight," extensively consulted with Tobias Wolff in preparation for the role. However, De Niro chose not to contact the real-life Dwight, who passed away just before filming commenced.[4]
Principal photography began on February 23, 1992, in Vancouver, Canada. Dwight's dilapidated house, constructed in the woods outside Vancouver, served as the primary set. Filming also took place for ten days inConcrete, Washington, where crews restored the town's main street to its 1950s appearance.[4] Many of the town's citizens were used as extras, and all external scenes in Concrete (and some internal scenes, as well) were shot in and around the town, including the former elementary school buildings and the still-active Concrete High School building. Additional scenes were shot in theLa Sal Mountains, andMoab andSalt Lake City, Utah.[4][6]
The film was released inlimited release on April 9, 1993, and earned $74,425 that weekend;[7] upon itswide release on April 23, the film opened at #10 at the box office and grossed $1,519,678.[8] The film would end with a domestic gross of $4,104,962.[1]
On review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critics consensus states: "A harrowing, moving drama about a young boy, his single mother, and his abusive stepfather,This Boy's Life benefits from its terrific cast, and features a breakout performance from a young Leonardo DiCaprio."[9]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[11]
This Boy's Life was released onVHS September 1, 1993;LaserDisc in November 1993;[12] and onDVD May 13, 2003.[13]
The soundtrack ofThis Boy's Life used many songs from the 1950s and early 1960s.[14] The main titles (filmed in Professor Valley, Utah) featureFrank Sinatra's version of "Let's Get Away from It All" from his 1958 albumCome Fly with Me. Toby and his mother sing "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" from the popular post-war musicalSouth Pacific. However, most of the music reflects Toby's fondness forrock and roll anddoo wop, including songs byEddie Cochran,Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, andLink Wray.Carter Burwell composed the film's score, which featured New York guitaristFrederic Hand.[15]
