The Outsiders

Sharon and I watched The Outsiders. After reading Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends, I bought the movie and downloaded it to my iPad. I was intending to watch it on one of our international flights, but never got around to it.

The Outsiders is a 1983 coming-of-age crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton.

The film is noted for its cast of up-and-coming stars, including C. Thomas Howell (who garnered a Young Artist Award), Rob Lowe, in his feature film debut, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane. The film helped spark the Brat Pack genre of the 1980s.

The film's central theme is the divide between the haves and the have-nots. The Greasers, led by the charismatic Ponyboy Curtis (played by C. Thomas Howell), struggle to find their place in a society that often overlooks and dismisses them. Their lives are marked by poverty, violence, and a sense of hopelessness. On the other side, the Socs, enjoy the privileges of wealth and status.

Although it is interesting to see a number of major actors at the very beginning of their careers, the movie feels very dated. Rob Lowe talks in his first book about how they cut most of his big scene from the movie. I only recommend the film as a curiosity.