summary
- Despite the presence of a group of stars,
This boy's life
The film grossed only $4 million at the box office when it was released in 1993. - The family drama failed to stand out among other films in the genre, leading to its relative obscurity today.
- The film served as an early launching pad for many rising stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and others.
Leonardo DiCaprio And Robert De Niro Both of these characters are among the most popular actors working today. While they have both appeared in their share of critically acclaimed titles, they have also collaborated on a number of occasions, most notably with Martin Scorsese. Killers of the Flower Moon It's the latest, while DiCaprio and De Niro also appeared in Scorsese's 2015 short film AuditionBut there was another occasion when the two legends shared the screen more than 30 years ago.
DiCaprio and De Niro first appeared together in the 1993 drama This boy's lifeDirected by Michael Caton-Jones. DiCaprio plays young Toby Wolfe, while De Niro plays his mother's abusive boyfriend. If you're not familiar with this movie, you're probably not alone. He also seems to live in relative obscurity today.Nowadays, it's hard to imagine any collaboration between DiCaprio and De Niro going unnoticed. So what went wrong? If you think about This boy's life The movie was popular when it came out and then disappeared after a while, but that’s not true either. It reportedly only made $4 million at the box office when it first came out. No one cared at the time either. So let’s take a look at what this movie was about and why it’s been lost to history.
This Boy's Life Provides Intimate Look at Abuse
Set in the 1950s, Ellen Barkin plays Caroline Wolfe, the mother of Toby, played by Leo. Caroline wants to settle down and find a good man who can provide a better life for her and her son. After moving to Seattle, she meets Dwight Hansen, played by De Niro, who seems perfect at first. They marry, and Caroline and Toby move in with Dwight.
Caroline's shock at her separation from Toby's father causes Toby to start acting out at school. During this time, Dwight reveals himself to be Toby's abuser. The more Caroline is away, the more she eventually finds out but is unwilling to give up on the marriage after things with Toby's father don't work out. As the situation escalates, Toby wants to leave and live with his father and brother on the East Coast, and befriends a classmate who is also struggling with personal issues.
Toby falsifies school records to get into schools on the East Coast, straining his relationship with his friend Arthur. He eventually gets into the Hill School in Pennsylvania on a full scholarship. When Dwight finds out, physically assaults tobyWhich forces Caroline to finally step in and end it. Realizing she doesn't have to live this way, she and Toby run away. Toby and Caroline go their separate ways, with Toby setting off to start a new life at school on the East Coast.
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This boy's life It seems to meet all the requirements for its type.Struggling single mother? Yes. Rebellious child with a troubled home life? Yes. A seemingly sweet new husband who hides a dark side? Yes. A mother and child who band together to escape abuse and start a new life? Yes. It’s not a particularly bold or revolutionary formula, but it should have set the film up for success in the family drama market.
Why did this boy's life not live up to expectations?
The film grossed only $1.5 million during its opening weekend on April 23, 1993.It ended its theatrical run with a total of $4.1 million. These numbers don’t seem to add up, especially when you consider that Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin were big stars in 1993. True, DiCaprio and the rest of the cast were relatively unknown, but wasn’t De Niro’s name at the top of the list enough? Critics seem to agree, as This boy's life The film holds an impressive 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film's story and the performances of the actors (especially the young DiCaprio) received widespread acclaim.. maybe This boy's lifeMicrosoft's poor performance was not a result of what it did, but what it didn't do.
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Yes, it’s a successful drama, but does it stand out? How many times have we seen the line “family runs away from hardship only to find themselves in more hardship”? It’s not a very original angle. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but it’s likely that audiences didn’t buy it. This boy's life Family drama is a crowded field, and it's easy for those who play it safe to slip under the radar, even if a name like De Niro is associated with drama.
Despite its poor performance, This boy's life It served as a successful launching pad for many of his new stars. De Niro offered Martin Scorsese the role of DiCaprio after this film, and Scorsese responded by casting DiCaprio in the film. gangs of new yorkThis was just the beginning of a lucrative partnership between Scorsese, which would later include The Pilot, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, And Killers of the Flower Moon.
This boy's life The film also features the first appearance of Spider-Man himself, Tobey Maguire. Chris Cooper, Carla Gugino, and Eliza Dushku also make their major film debuts. So, if you’re in the mood for a family drama or just want to see DiCaprio and De Niro’s first on-screen duo, watch this one. This boy's life Available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV+..
