Outsiders

This movie feels very dated in terms of the way the drama is presented, but it is saved by standout performances from a laundry list of great actors cutting their teeth with the material. This is also worth watching in the present day for its portrayal of social class, and the universal theme of friends helping one another to learn, grow and survive. I also really loved that the small Midwest town isn't portrayed as a glamorous 1960s utopia, the housing is run down, businesses are shown struggling, and the feeling of growing up in a working class neighborhood is so real you can taste it. Ultimately, these things make The Outsiders worth a watch even if youre unfamiliar with source mayerial.

"The Outsiders" is about two gangs, the Socs and the Greasers. It focuses on a young greaser named Ponyboy, and what living the gang life is like for him. Although it has good cinematography and a real good score, the characters speak in accents and lingo that make it a tad bit hard to understand what's happening, and it doesn't help that sometimes the pace is too quick for the film's own good. This results in a movie that may be a bit difficult for people who haven't read the book to understand, although there are probably some who never read the book but understood the movie. If you did read the book, it's a good adaptation. You also feel sympathy and emotion for all of the characters. I recommend that you watch it nonetheless. 7/10.

A terrific tweener for kids of any era. Serious but sweet, and refreshingly free of cynicism.

Godfather Coppola has a real way with family, go figure. But here he keeps the themes and emotions simple. One of the reasons for this story's lasting power is that it was written by a teenager, and so accurately reflects kids' perspective. It would have been very tempting to try and infuse an adaptation with "layers," to comment on the action and show yourself superior, but Coppola exercises great restraint and appropriate respect for the material. He knows it isn't profound stuff, but he understands that it *feels* profound to kids who identify with it. In walking this tightrope, he creates a rare thing: a movie that's for kids but neither talks down to or indulges them.

Lowe, Dillon, Estevez, Howell, Macchio, Garrett, Swayze. Only Cruise and Lane (and Sofia!) seem bigger now than they are here. That, and the 20-some years since, makes The Outsiders all the more poignant.

A gem from Francis Ford Coppola based on S.E. Hinton's novel. Teenage gang members in a mid 60's Oklahoma town become involved in murder, leading to tragic consequences for all concerned. Filmed mostly in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a very impressive list of young actors on their way to stardom.

The cast includes Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise. Also featured are Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, C. Thomas Howell, Gailard Sartain and Ralph Macchio.

A coming of age movie that packs a punch. Very much worth your time.

With this adaptation of S. E. Hinton's debut novel "The Outsiders", Francis Ford Coppola introduced a whole new generation of actors, who would go on to become some of Hollywood's biggest stars over the course of the next few years and decades. The story is a coming-off-age tale set in an unspecified American town during the early 1960s, where the dividing line between the north and south side of town, between the working-class "greasers" and the upper-class "socs", defined the upbringing, youth years and prospects for the future for all the characters we get to meet. Focusing on the greasers - and more on the ties and comradery between them than on the greaser culture as such - The Outsiders is a tenderhearted, unobtrusive film full of semi-obvious observations and character-developments. As such, it feels like the school essay that the novel more or less started out as. Still, the film has a perception and understanding for these kids, their time and their surroundings that makes it resonant and believable. Artistically, this is by no means Coppola's best work, and all of these actors would go on to deliver better work later on in their careers, but their characters and their performances have stood the test of time quite well. Look for Coppola's pal Tom Waits in a cameo as a bouncer in a bar. C. Thomas Howell won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Motion Picture Actor for his performance as Ponyboy Curtis.