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 Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Ellen Barkin. This was DiCaprio's theatrical film debut. 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), 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 Concrete, 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 ambiguously gay. 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 by 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

 * Robert De Niro as Dwight Hansen
 * Ellen Barkin as Caroline Wolff Hansen
 * Leonardo DiCaprio as Tobias "Toby" Wolff
 * Jonah Blechman as Arthur Gayle
 * Eliza Dushku as Pearl Hansen
 * Chris Cooper as Roy
 * Carla Gugino as Norma Hansen
 * Zack Ansley as Skipper Hansen
 * Tracey Ellis as Kathy
 * Kathy Kinney as Marian
 * Tobey Maguire as Chuck Bolger
 * Michael Bacall as Terry Taylor
 * Gerrit Graham as Mr. Howard
 * Sean Murray as Jimmy Voorhees
 * Lee Wilkof as Principal Skippy
 * Bill Dow as Vice Principal
 * Jen Taylor as Deputy O'Riley (uncredited)
 * Deanna Milligan and Morgan Brayton as Silver Sisters

Production
This Boy's Life is adapted from Tobias Wolff's memoir of the same title, recounting his experiences with an abusive stepfather in the 1950s. The screen rights were acquired by Peter Guber, then 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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

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." On Metacritic, where they give a 'normalized' score, the film has a 60/100.

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

Soundtrack
The soundtrack of This Boy's Life used 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 post-war 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 featured New York guitarist Frederic Hand.