This Boy's Life
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.
Synopsis
When a son and mother move to Seattle in hopes for a better life, the mother meets a seemingly polite man. Things go south when the man turns out to be abusive, endangering their lives. As the mother struggles to maintain hope in an impossible situation, the son has plans to escape.
Main Cast
Robert De Niro
Dwight Hansen
Ellen Barkin
Caroline Wolff Hansen
Leonardo DiCaprio
Tobias Wolff
Chris Cooper
Roy
Eliza Dushku
Pearl
Jonah Blechman
Arthur Gayle
Kathy Kinney
Marian
Gerrit Graham
Mr. Howard
Carla Gugino
Norma
Zachary Ansley
Skipper
Trailer
User Reviews
r96sk
<em>'This Boy’s Life'</em> manages to produce an impressive feat: making me hate Robert De Niro! His character here, that is. I've only seen the guy in likeable roles, <em>'Meet the Parents'</em> is as close as a portrayal has come to being unlikeable. Dwight, in this, is despicable! All the aforementioned is simply a plus point for the film, though. It's obviously not overly difficult to make a person garner hatred, but I do appreciate that we see how Dwight becomes the way he is - e.g. the shooting scene. It does get a touch repetitive at times, only minorly so. Not only does this flick have De Niro, it also has one Leonardo DiCaprio - in his first leading movie role, no less. Both are excellent throughout, positives can too be remarked about Ellen Barkin's performance. Elsewhere, youthful Tobey Maguire and Carla Gugino also appear. An uncomfortable watch, but it is a very good release from 1993.
