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."

1993 1h 55m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

76%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 1,122🍅76%Rotten Tomatoes●60Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 61,028

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“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.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Robert De Niro
Dwight
Ellen Barkin
Caroline
Leonardo DiCaprio
Toby
Jonah Blechman
Arthur Gayle
Eliza Dushku
Pearl
Chris Cooper
Roy
Carla Gugino
Norma
Zachary Ansley
Skipper

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Writers: Robert Getchell
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, shot by David Watkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin and Leonardo DiCaprio carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "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.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0108330 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Caton-Jones directs. David Watkin behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Jim Clark cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

133 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Michael Caton-Jones, shot by David Watkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin and Leonardo DiCaprio carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "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.".
7IMDB entry: tt0108330 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 15 themes, including "jealousy", "based on novel or book", "single parent", "seattle, washington".

The technical file

Cinematography: David Watkin
Original score: Carter Burwell
Editing: Jim Clark
Production design: Stephen J. Lineweaver
Costume design: Richard Hornung
Makeup / hair: Jo-Anne Smith-Ojeil
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $4,104,962
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: This Boy's Life (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 60/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 61,028 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins & 3 nominations total

Also by

Michael Caton-Jones

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2025-08-19
★ 8/10
<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.

Production companies