This Boy's Life
Short description
Set in the 1950s, This Boy's Life follows Caroline, a divorced mother raising her teenage son Toby. With little money but hopes for a fresh start, she takes him to Seattle, where she meets Dwight, an auto mechanic whose polite manner seems to promise the stability she has been looking for. She marries him, but the household soon turns harsh and authoritarian, and Toby's troubled friendships and growing defiance put him on a collision course with his stepfather as he looks for a way out. The story is based on a true account.
Michael Caton-Jones directed the film, his fourth feature after Scandal, Memphis Belle and Doc Hollywood. Robert Getchell wrote the screenplay and Art Linson produced it. Robert De Niro plays Dwight, Ellen Barkin plays Caroline and Leonardo DiCaprio plays Toby, with supporting work from Jonah Blechman, Eliza Dushku and Chris Cooper among a credited cast of 34. Released by Warner Bros. Pictures and Knickerbocker Films, it earned about 4 million dollars worldwide.
On IMDb it holds 7.3 out of 10 from roughly 63,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.1 out of 10 from about 1,100 votes. A critics' rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 37 reviews places it close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of Carolina Wolff Hansen, played by Ellen Barkin, was originally offered to actress Debra Winger.
- Tobey Maguire auditioned for the lead role in the film, but the director felt he wasn't quite right for it. Leonardo DiCaprio, who ultimately got the part, and Tobey Maguire were already close friends at the time, and at DiCaprio's request, Maguire was given the opportunity to play Toby's friend, Chuck Boldger.
- During filming, Leonardo DiCaprio noticeably grew taller, and in a number of scenes he had to deliberately hunch over to appear shorter opposite Robert De Niro.
- When in Concrete, Caroline tries to light a cigarette from Dwight's lighter on the street, it is visible that it doesn't ignite. Later, Caroline smokes the cigarette, although no smoke comes from either the cigarette or her mouth.
- Toby's brother's real name, who is called Gregory in the film, is Jeffrey. Ten years before Tobias Wolff wrote "This Boy's Life," Jeffrey Wolff also published his memoirs, focusing on his complex relationship with his father.
- A poster for the 1956 film "The Searchers" can be seen in the local cinema.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
