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C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe ... see more see more... , Emilio Estevez , Diane Lane , Tom Cruise , Leif Garrett , Glenn Withrow , Darren Dalton , Michelle Meyrink , Gailard Sartain , Tom Waits , William Smith , S.E. Hinton , John Meier , Sofia Coppola , Janet Hirshenson , Ed Jackson

Teen rivalry in a small Southern town sets the stage for this dramatic interpretation of the novel by S.E. Hinton. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Outsiders tells the story of the ongoing confli... read more read more...ct between the Greasers and the Socs in rural Oklahoma. C. Thomas Howell stars as Ponyboy, the youngest of three orphaned boys who pal around with the local hoods known as the Greasers. When Ponyboy and his friend (Ralph Macchio) get into a deadly confrontation one night, the two go on the run from the cops, and they grow up quickly and soon realize the insignificance of their petty posturing. Matt Dillon stars as the tough-as-nails leader of their group and Patrick Swayze appears as Ponyboy's oldest brother. A host of other 1980s Brat Pack celebs fill out the cast. Dillon later appeared in another Coppola adaption of a Hinton book, Rumble Fish. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

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81% liked it

118,847 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

33 critics

PG, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Release Date: March 25, 1983

Keywords: 80's

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DVD Release Date: November 30, 1999

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Stats: 8,272 reviews

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Sodapop The Outsiders Rob Lowe (aged 16/17) Rob Lowe as Sodapop Curtis Rob Lowe as Sodapop Curtis group outside Darrel Curtis The Outsiders The Outsiders The Outsiders The Outsiders Johnny Cade/ Ralph Macchio The Outsiders Dallas and Johnny C. Thomas Howell Rob Lowe (aged 16/17) C. Thomas Howell Cutie
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Flixster Reviews (8,272)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 11, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    The Outsiders directed by Francis Ford Coppola is a very well done adaptation of S.E Hinton's classic novel, The Outsiders. Francis Ford Coppola brings together an impressive and talented cast of actors. This is a superb film with a terrific story. I find that The Outsiders is of... read moreten overlooked as a great film, because after all, Francis Ford Coppola did direct The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. The Outsiders is a terrific, well plotted and directed film that stays truthful to the book. That's what I love about Coppola, his respect for the source material. Just like he did with Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Coppola stayed true to the novel when he made The Outsiders. This boasts a great cast of now known actors, and they each deliver good performances. The Outsiders is both dramatic and funny, and Coppola's brilliant directing definitely pulls you in. You feel something for the characters and you sympathize with them. Francis Ford Coppola is a phenomenal director, and because he's directed three film classics before this, The Outsiders is often forgotten, but it shouldn't. The film will appeal to fans of the book, as it stays truthful to the source material, and is yet another solid effort from Francis Ford Coppola. The Outsiders tells a remarkable story of a rivalry between two Teen gangs and the struggle to survive a brutal confrontation and the ultimate run from the law. The Outsiders is not a perfect film, but it definitely is a classic\, and is a definite must see.
  • dwt5411
    October 7, 2011
    dwt5411
    Notable for its, then unknown, cast of movie stars--Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane and (golly) Tom Cruise--The Outsiders must go down as a well-intentioned folly. Francis Ford Coppola's attempt to transform S.E. Hinton's syrupy teen novel into ... read morenostalgia infused pop-poetry only buckles under its faithfulness to the sentimentality of the author's saccharine prose--a book about male camaraderie clearly written by a young girl with a lot of feminine feelings.
  • erika250
    May 27, 2011
    erika250
    The outsiders are about 2 gangs one that is from poor side of town and one from rich part of town. The rich gang went after pony boy and Johnny because they felt they cheated on thier women. Johnny kills someone from the rich gang. To stop them from killing his buddy pony boy. ... read moreAfter that the tense between the gangs got so back they decided on a rumble.
    Pros
    Good acting and plot
    It shows what it is like to be in gang and the hood.
  • jennifxu
    April 28, 2011
    jennifxu
    If there was ever a way to make an awful book an even more awful movie, Francis Ford Coppola has done just that. What the hell was that cheesy Gone With the Wind lighting, Francis?
  • helpahorse
    February 9, 2011
    helpahorse
    As someone who read the book, I can honestly say this is a very shitty adaptation.

    The characters in the movie are painfully shallow. It's really, really hard to care about the characters because the movie tells us so little about them. Boys from the gang like Steve and Two-B... read moreit just kind of appear on screen, and are never properly introduced. Even though I read the book, I was still like "who the hell are those guys?". It wasn't until after the credits I realized who they were supposed to be.

    The characters overall are very underdeveloped. Johnny was beaten up pretty badly in the book by the Socs, making him very nervous around strangers. In the movie, it showed Johnny being uneasy around strangers/Socs, but it never really went into detail about why. The "why" part is a pretty vital part of the story. That was only one of the many plot holes in this movie. The number of plot holes in the Outsiders is astounding.

    The movie also didn't go into depth about the relationships the boys had with each other. Pony had a tight relationship with his brother Soda, and a pretty rocky relationship with his other brother Darry. Darry and Soda are very important parts of the plot, yet they only get maybe 10mins of screen time. Dally and Johnny also had a very unique relationship with each other, yet you barely see that relationship in the film.

    The scenes in the movie were taken from the book, but they were all thrown together in a random fashion that made it hard to understand the movie, if you hadn't read the book. The transitions from one scene to the next didn't make any sense either. Especially the beginning, when Pony starts writing his essay for school. It never goes into WHY he was writing or what it was for.....it doesn't even say what he's writing about! Major scenes were also cut from the movie like Pony getting beaten up after walking home from the movies. That's actually the very beginning of the movie, and it's where they go into detail about each greaser.

    The pacing was also very off. The movie cuts half way through the book, and starts at the part where Pony, Johnny and Dally are at the movies. From there the movie just takes off, and everything happens too fast.

    Overall this was a poorly directed film. It had the potential to be great, since the book was pretty good, but somehow the director managed to screw it up big time.
  • ajv2688
    January 16, 2011
    ajv2688
    Normally considered a classic, but I didn't like it for some reason. I saw this on TV a long time ago, and I liked seeing all the great 80s teen actors, but I didn't get the story, it seemed really boring. I'll watch it again sometime and see what I think of it now.
  • MizturY0da
    September 8, 2010
    MizturY0da
    not interested
  • MrMarakai
    June 12, 2010
    MrMarakai
    Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of S.E Hinton's book which I remember reading when I was about 13yrs old. The book is aimed around that age group and I thoroughly it enjoyed it at the time but it's a shame that Coppola sticks very closely to that, in making the film. It would h... read moreave been much better if he added a little more bite and dropped the innocence. It would definately have been possible for a more hard hitting film and the director of "The Godfather" more than capable of delivering that. Sadly it wasn't to be and the film ends up being aimed at a teenage audience also.
    However there are still some great scenes and a very impressive cast. The best thing about it though is Stevie Wonders song "Stay Gold".
  • LitelBluHli
    April 13, 2010
    LitelBluHli
    Classic! Loved both the book and movie!

    I rented this movie again after not seeing it for years and because my boyfriend has never seen it. I realized even more why I love it so much; it was beautifully shot, especially when Pony Boy and Johnny were at the abandoned church an... read mored they were talking about the sunset.

    "Stay gold, Pony Boy, stay gold." - Johnny
  • FilmFanatik
    March 2, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    There is some good stuff in this movie, but it feels a bit convoluted and doesn't have a clear story direction. Perhaps that's intentional, but it just didn't sit right with me.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
December 11, 2007
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

Because it falls in with the undulating rhythm of the life of its heroes, for whom a fatal fight and a quiet night have almost equal importance, the picture never manages to reach the peaks of satisfy... Full Review

Variety Staff
December 11, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Well acted and crafted but highly conventional. Full Review

Dave Kehr
December 11, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The film is unremitting in its morbid sentimentality, running its teenage characters through a masochistic gamut of beatings, killings, burnings, and suicides. Full Review

Kyle Smith
September 9, 2005
Kyle Smith, New York Post

A deeply strange film that gives '60s hoodlums the personalities of Care Bears and places them under constant attack from preppies in pastel sweaters.

Manohla Dargis
September 9, 2005
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

[Coppola's] revisions to the film, which include a new, improved soundtrack, invest it with grandeur worthy of both its characters and his own ambitions. Full Review

Peter Travers
September 9, 2005
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Francis Coppola's revision of his 1983 film of S.E. Hinton's best seller The Outsiders is funny, touching and revelatory.

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

There's not much life in this movie, or spontaneity. It's a stylistic exercise. Full Review

Gabe Leibowitz
July 12, 2011
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

Francis Ford Coppola's cheesy, overblown adaptation of S.E. Hinton's wonderful novel captures none of the book's gritty magic. Full Review

Carly Kocurek
January 1, 2011
Carly Kocurek, Common Sense Media

Coppola's take on S.E. Hinton's classic. Teens+. Full Review

David Sterritt
December 11, 2007
David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor

As a movie, it's mediocre. As a clue to Coppola's thinking, it shows he still has things to learn about the relation between technology and expression. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Darrel Curtis: Movies and books, Movies and books. Is that all you ever think about?
    • Sodapop Curtis: Why don't you focus on girls and cars? Works for me.
    • Darrel Curtis: Where the hell have you been; do you know what time it is? It's 2 :00 in the morning, kiddo!
    • Steve Randale: Beer for breakfast there, Two-Bit?
    • Steve Randale: What do you mean, none of my business? It is my business. Look at my nose!
    • Ponyboy Curtis: It's huge.
    • Steve Randale: Smart-ass. He is a smart-ass kid.
    • Two-Bit Matthews: You guys wanna give me a push start?
    • Ponyboy Curtis: Not really, but we will.
    • Dallas Winston: Man, that little broad sure does hate me though, I offered to buy her a coke and she told me to go to hell.
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The Outsiders Trivia

  • What book do the boys read while in hiding in The Outsiders?  Answer »
  • In The Outsiders, which book does Johnny want Ponyboy to read to him?  Answer »
  • Which movie featured all of the following actors? -Patrick Swayze -Rob Lowe -Tom Cruise -Ralph Macchio  Answer »
  • What movie did all the following people star in: Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, C Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, and Emilio Estevez?  Answer »
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