This Boy's Life

''This Boy's Life'' (titled onscreen as ''This Boy's Life: A True Story'') is a 1993 American biographical coming-of-age drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It is based on the eponymous memoir by author Tobias Wolff. The film stars Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin and Leonardo DiCaprio (in his first feature-film lead role). The cast also features Chris Cooper, Carla Gugino and Eliza Dushku, as well as Tobey Maguire in his first credited appearance in a feature film.

It is the first on-screen collaboration of Maguire and DiCaprio, both of whom would work on '' Don's Plum'' (2001) and '' The Great Gatsby'' (2013). It is also the first on-screen collaboration of DiCaprio and De Niro, both of whom would work together in '' Marvin's Room'' (1996), the short film '' The Audition'' (2015) and '' Killers of the Flower Moon'' (2023).

Plot

In the 1950s, nomadic and flaky Caroline Wolff wants to find a decent man and settle down to provide a better home for herself and her son, Tobias "Toby" Wolff. She moves to Seattle, 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 in Concrete ( Newhalem in the book), a small town near the northern Cascade 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, an effeminate misfit at school. Toby wants to leave Concrete to live with his older brother Gregory, who lives on the East Coast with their father. Arthur wants to leave because he knows that he will never fit in, and that there is more to life than living in Concrete.

Toby applies 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 like Dwight. Arthur helps Toby to falsify his grade records. After numerous rejections, Toby is accepted by The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, with a full scholarship.

Caroline defends Toby from Dwight during a physically violent argument. Realizing that neither has a future with Dwight, both Toby and Caroline leave Dwight and the town of Concrete.

Cast

Production

''This Boy's Life'' is adapted from Tobias Wolff's 1989 memoir, recounting his experiences with an abusive stepfather in the 1950s. The screen rights were acquired by Peter Guber, head of Guber-Peters Productions at Warner Bros. Pictures, shortly after the memoir's 1989 publication.

Following Guber's departure to lead Sony Pictures Entertainment, Art Linson assumed the role of producer. Although Guber is credited as an executive producer alongside his producing partner Jon Peters, Warner Bros. initially hesitated to produce the film, deeming it commercially unviable due to its child-abuse story. Despite this, director Michael Caton-Jones insisted on the project, and the studio relented due to Caton-Jones's successful directorial track record.

After Guber obtained the rights, screenwriter Robert Getchell expressed interest in writing the script. Getchell, known for adapting Tobias Wolff's older brother's memoir, Geoffrey Wolff's ''The Duke of Deception'', was captivated by the brothers' stories and was 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, after viewing the finished film, Wolff approved, recognizing that his mother might be upset about the name change.

''This Boy's Life'' marks the first cinematic lead role by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who portrayed "Toby" at seventeen years old during filming. Christian Bale was considered for the role of Toby, but lost to DiCaprio. Initially, Debra Winger was to star as "Caroline" but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts, leading to Ellen Barkin taking the role. Actor Robert De Niro, playing the abusive stepfather "Dwight", extensively consulted with Tobias Wolff while preparing for the role. However, De Niro chose not to contact the real-life Dwight, who eventually died before filming commenced.

Principal photography began on February 23, 1992, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Dwight's dilapidated house, constructed in the woods outside of Vancouver, served as the primary set. Filming also took place for ten days in Concrete, Washington, where crews restored the town's main street to its 1950s appearance. 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 Concrete High School building. Additional scenes were shot in the La Sal Mountains, and Moab and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Release

Box office

The film went into limited release on April 9, 1993, and earned $74,425 that weekend; in its wide release on April 23, the film opened at number 10 at the box office and grossed $1,519,678. The film would end with a domestic gross of $4,104,962.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten 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." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of A– on a scale of A+ to F.

Home media

''This Boy's Life'' was released on VHS on September 1, 1993, on LaserDisc in November 1993, and on DVD on May 13, 2003.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of ''This Boy's Life'' uses many songs from the 1950s and early 1960s. The main titles (filmed in Professor Valley, Utah) feature Frank Sinatra's version of " Let's Get Away from It All" from his 1958 album '' Come Fly with Me''.

Toby and his mother sing " I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" from the popular postwar musical '' South Pacific''. However, most of the music reflects Toby's fondness for rock and roll and doo wop, including songs by Eddie Cochran, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and Link Wray. Carter Burwell composed the film's score, which features New York guitarist Frederic Hand.

References

External links

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''This Boy's Life''
film trailer at YouTube

{{Michael Caton-Jones

1993 films
1990s coming-of-age drama films
1990s biographical drama films
American biographical drama films
American coming-of-age drama films
Biographical films about children
Drama films based on actual events
Films based on biographies
Films about domestic violence
Films about child abuse
Films about dysfunctional families
Films based on memoirs
Films directed by Michael Caton-Jones
Films produced by Art Linson
Films set in Seattle
Films set in the 1950s
Films set in 1957
Films set in 1959
Films shot in Washington (state)
Films set in Washington (state)
Films scored by Carter Burwell
The Hill School
Films about the Boy Scouts of America
Films shot in Utah
Warner Bros. films
1993 drama films
Biographical films about writers
Films about mother–son relationships
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
Films with screenplays by Robert Getchell
English-language biographical drama films
1993 LGBTQ-related films
American LGBTQ-related films