This Boy's Story

Set in 1968, a young mother uproots her family and moves with her two sons to the north west of England after leaving her husband. The older boy, Tony, is restless and obsessed with football; when he hears George Best will be playing in Liverpool he slips away to see him, and his younger brother, Lloyd, follows without telling their mother. The film traces the brothers' short trip, the hush of small-town life, and the mother's attempts to hold the household together while adjusting to a new place. Scenes favor everyday details and the boys' shifting loyalties over dramatic plot turns. Tone is intimate, often wry, grounded in era music and street life that shape the boys' expectations and hope.

Released in 1992 and directed by John Roberts, This Boy's Story is a small-scale British drama featuring Kevin Arnold as Tony, Steven Arnold as Lloyd, Jennifer Calvert, Simon Adams and Thomas Craig, reflecting a period setting rather than commercial spectacle.

Box office totals aren't widely documented; after a limited theatrical roll-out it didn't register on major charts, and available sources list no reliable gross figures. The film appears to have reached a mostly regional or festival audience, primarily local screenings.

The film hasn't become broadly known, but its snapshot of 1968 life and the boys' pilgrimage to see George Best connect with viewers interested in football history and regional British stories. Period details and family dynamics give it modest appeal among niche audiences, appealing to collectors of British period work.

Critical attention was limited, with few contemporary reviews and scarce coverage since, so it retains a low profile. Thematically the film focuses on sibling bonds, the pull of hero worship in sport, class pressures, small acts of adolescent rebellion and a mother's quiet resilience, conveyed through economical performances with restraint.