This Boy's Life (film)
| This Boy's Life | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Caton-Jones |
| Produced by | Fitch Cady Art Linson |
| Screenplay by | Robert Getchell |
| Based on |
This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Edited by | Jim Clark |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,104,962 |
This Boy's Life is a 1993 film adaptation of the memoir of the same name by American author Tobias Wolff. It is directed by Michael Caton-Jones and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Tobias Wolff, Robert De Niro as stepfather Dwight Hansen, and Ellen Barkin as Toby's mother, Caroline. The film also features Chris Cooper, Carla Gugino, Eliza Dushku and Tobey Maguire in his feature film debut.
Nomadic, flaky Caroline Wolff (Ellen Barkin) wants to settle down in one place, find a decent man, and provide a better home for her and her son, Tobias "Toby" Wolff (Leonardo DiCaprio). When she moves to Seattle, Washington, and meets the seemingly respectable Dwight Hansen (Robert De Niro), she thinks she has accomplished her goals. Toby, however, comes to feel differently; Dwight's true personality is revealed after Toby spends a few months separated from his mother with Dwight and his children. The boy's stepfather-to-be seems to want to mold Toby into a better person, but his method includes emotionally, verbally and physically abusing the boy.
The marriage proceeds, and soon Caroline recognizes Dwight's need to dominate everyone around him. She sticks with it, though, convinced this is best for her son, and several years of dysfunction ensue. During this time, Toby befriends a classmate, the misfit and ambiguously gay Arthur Gayle (Jonah Blechman). Toby continues to chafe under the yoke of his repressive stepfather. Hoping to leave Concrete and live with his older brother Gregory, Toby decides to apply for East Coast prep-school scholarships. Realizing his grades are not good enough to be accepted, Toby devises a plan to submit falsified grade reports. Meanwhile, the friendship between Arthur and Toby becomes strained when Arthur confronts Toby, saying he is behaving more and more like Dwight, and asks, "Why should you be the one who gets to leave?". Arthur helps his friend get the papers he needs to falsify his grade records and Toby submits his prep-school applications. When Toby assures Arthur he too can leave Concrete and have a better life, Arthur replies he will most likely stay. After numerous rejections, Toby is finally accepted by the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, with a full scholarship.
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