Rating: Butter Popcorn

Adapted from the 1967 novel of the same title, The Outsiders is the coming-of-age story of teenagers growing up in Oklahoma in the 1950’s. The town is divided by social class: the rich ’socs’ live in the south side of town while the poor ‘greasers’ live in the north end. A turf war between the two gangs erupts when two young ‘greasers’, Ponyboy and Johnny, are attacked by the ’socs’.

The Outsiders stars many young actors that have become famous over the years, including Matthew Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise. For most of the cast, this is one of the first movies they’ve ever played in. The acting in the film is one of the best I’ve seen coming from a cast of young amateurs. No wonder they’ve become stars since then!

The Outsiders is directed by Francis Ford Coppola, a well-known writer, director and producer. Over the years, he has created many classics, including The Godfather trilogy and American Graffiti, another coming-of-age classic.

Many of us have either read the novel or have seen the film as we were growing up. I remember seeing the movie in high school but can’t remember what class it was. The Outsiders is very educational as it gives us a glimpse of history of the conflicts between the rich and the poor. Even today, over 50 years later, we still have conflicts and gangs still exist. It almost seems like the gap between the rich and the poor is widening.

If you’ve never seen The Outsiders, it’s a must see! If you really like The Outsiders, I would also recommend watching American Grafitti. I haven’t seen it in a long time, but it’s another coming-of-age film from Coppola that is set in the same time period. Keep your eyes open during the next couple of weeks as I will be reviewing Coppola’s American Grafitti.

Release Date: March 25, 1983

Related Posts

• August 18, 2008 -- Thunder Rumbles The Box Office (0)
• August 6, 2008 -- The Pants Still Fit In ‘The Sisterhood 2′ (0)
• July 7, 2008 -- Ellen Page Stars In ‘The Tracey Fragments’ (2)
• June 17, 2008 -- What Are You Going To See This Weekend? - June 20th Edition (0)
• May 31, 2008 -- How Sexy Is ‘Sex and the City’? (8)