This Boy's Life

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This Boy's Life (film)
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This Boy's Life
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Caton-Jones
Screenplay byRobert Getchell
Based onThis Boy's Life
by Tobias Wolff
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDavid Watkin
Edited byJim Clark
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • April 9, 1993 (1993-04-09)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4 million[1]

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 Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Ellen Barkin. It marks the first time Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro ever collaborated. The film also features Chris Cooper, Carla Gugino, Eliza Dushku and Tobey Maguire's first credited appearance in a feature-length movie.

It was the first collaboration on-screen between Maguire and DiCaprio, who both later worked in Don's Plum (2001) and The Great Gatsby (2013),[2][3] and also the first collaboration on-screen between DiCaprio and De Niro, who both later worked in Marvin's Room (1996), short film The Audition (2015), and the film Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

Plot

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 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

The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia
with a full scholarship.

Later, Caroline defends Toby from Dwight during a physically violent argument; they both leave Dwight and the town of Concrete.

Cast

Production

This Boy's Life is adapted from

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.[4]

Screenwriter Robert 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's The 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 actor Leonardo 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 to Ellen Barkin taking over the role. Actor Robert 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 in Concrete, 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 the La Sal Mountains, and Moab and Salt Lake City, Utah.[4][6]

Release

Box office

The film was released in

limited release on April 9, 1993, and earned $74,425 that weekend;[7] upon its wide 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]

Critical reception

The film received mostly positive reviews; review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 76% 'Fresh' rating from 37 critics, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's 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] On Metacritic, where they give a 'normalized' score, the film has a 60/100.[10]

Home media

This Boy's Life was released on VHS September 1, 1993; LaserDisc in November 1993;[11] and on DVD May 13, 2003.[12]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of This Boy's Life used many songs from the 1950s and early 1960s.

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Link Wray. Carter Burwell composed the film's score, which featured New York guitarist Frederic Hand.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "This Boy's Life (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  2. ^ Conversations with Leonardo DiCaprio. September 23, 2014. SAG Foundation.
  3. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (May 6, 2013). "A Very Thoughtful Tobey Maguire on The Great Gatsby, Mental Health, and On-Set Injuries". vulture.com. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e "This Boy's Life". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Why Christian Bale Declared Leonardo DiCaprio His Nemesis". CBR.com. 21 May 2022.
  6. ISBN 9781423605874
    .
  7. ^ "Domestic 1993 Weekend 15 (April 9-11, 1993)". Box Office Mojo.
  8. ^ "Domestic 1993 Weekend 17 (April 23-25, 1993)". Box Office Mojo.
  9. ^ This Boy's Life at Rotten Tomatoes
  10. ^ This Boy's Life at Metacritic Edit this at Wikidata
  11. ^ McGowan, Chris (November 6, 1993). "Letterbox Format's Popularity Widens" (PDF). Billboard. p. 73. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  12. ^ "This Boy's Life - Releases". AllMovie. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ^ "This Boy's Life". ringostrack.com. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  14. ^ "This Boy's Life". soundtrack.net. Retrieved 6 November 2023.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=This_Boy%27s_Life&oldid=1214471604"