This Boy's Life (1993)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers (WGA):

Tobias Wolff (book)
Robert Getchell (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 April 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

He looked like the ideal husband. He seemed like the perfect father. That's just what they needed. But that's not what they got.

Plot:

The story about the relationship between a rebellious 50s teenager and his abusive father, based on the memoirs of writer and literature professor Tobias Wolff.

Plot Keywords:

Mechanic | Small Town | Washington State | Pearl | Anal Rape

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Dwight Hansen
Ellen Barkin	...	Caroline Wolff Hansen
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Tobias 'Toby' Wolff
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

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and sexuality.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Concrete, Washington, USA

Company:

Knickerbocker Films

Trivia:

The prep schools mentioned in the film all do exist. The Hill School is located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Choate Rosemary Hall is located in Wallingford, Connecticut, and Deerfield Academy is located in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Toby fights Arthur Gayle, his friends are egging him on. When the fight ends they have inexplicably vanished.

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.

Movie Connections:

References The Searchers (1956)

Soundtrack:

Blue Monday

A remarkably compelling piece of work, with groundbreaking performances by DeNiro and DiCaprio

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)