The Outsiders

1983
PG
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

101K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

435

Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, and Ralph Macchio in The Outsiders (1983)

Trailer for this classic based on the novel by S.E. Hinton

Play trailer1:11

1 Video

99+ Photos

Coming-of-Age Teen Drama Crime Drama

In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

101K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

435

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 4 nominations

Videos1

Trailer 1:11

The Outsiders

Photos310

+ 303

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In the poster for the film, the Greasers are laughing as Johnny is smirking. This candid shot was taken during the photo session where the actors were supposed to look tough at the camera. What happened was that when Leif Garrett went to the table, Ralph Macchio said, "Hey, Leif, that's for the talent." This comment cracked up the cast, and the photo was used.

Goofs
Dallas falling out of the chair at the Drive-in (at 07:18 in 91 m.) was an accident and was not rehearsed. Ponyboy looks at the camera expecting Francis Ford Coppola to say cut, but they kept the shot instead.

Quotes
Ponyboy: Nature's first green is gold / Her hardest hue to hold / Her early leaf's a flower / But only so an hour / Then leaf subsides to leaf / So Eden sank to grief / So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay.
Johnny: Where did you learn that? That's what I meant.
Ponyboy: Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant by it.

Crazy credits
Closing dedication: This film is dedicated to the people who first suggested that it be made... Librarian Jo Ellen Misakian and the students of the Lone Star School in Fresno, California.

Alternate versions
The 2005 special edition contains a re-edited cut of the film, a new soundtrack and 22 minutes of additional footage, including:
an extended opening scene where Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs when walking home from a Paul Newman movie. The principle Greasers are also introduced. Later, Ponyboy and Sodapop talk to each other in their bedroom.
a scene where Ponyboy asks some farmers how to reach Jay Mountain. He claims that he's playing "army" and "needs to report to base."
an alternate scene in the church where Ponyboy imagines that both Sodapop and Darry are present.
a short scene where Ponyboy splashes some water on his face outside the church while Johnny is out buying supplies.
a scene in the church where Ponyboy and Johnny become emotional over the events of the past 24 hours.
extended reading of "Gone With the Wind" in the church.
a short scene where Ponyboy finds Tim sitting on his couch in the morning.
a small extension to Ponyboy and Two-Bit at the hospital where a doctor allows them access to Johnny's room after being denied entrance by a nurse.
a short scene where Two-Bit and Ponyboy encounter Johnny's mother at the hospital.
Following the death of Dally, Darry lashes out at the cops while Ponyboy faints. Later, we see Sodapop and Darry caring for him in bed while Ponyboy asks if someone is sick, not realizing that he is.
A courtroom scene where Cherry, Randy, and Ponyboy all make statements. In the end, Ponyboy is acquitted and left in the custody of Darry.
A scene where Ponyboy runs into Cherry at school, but she walks away from him. Ponyboy's teacher also informs him that he is flunking, but allows him to write a paper on a personal experience in order to raise his grade.
A dinner scene where Sodapop becomes angry that he's always stuck in the middle between Ponyboy and Darry's tug of war and runs away. When they eventually catch him, they agree to stop fighting all the time.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Tom Cruise: The Star Next Door (1990)

Soundtracks
Stay Gold
Sung by Stevie Wonder
Music by Carmine Coppola
Lyrics by Stevie Wonder
Courtesy of Motown Record Corporation
Recording Engineer: Gary Olazabal
Assistant Recording Engineer: Bob Harlan

User reviews438

Review

Featured review

6/10

Expected better from Coppola

I might have enjoyed this a bit more if I didn't know Coppola directed it. I mean the guy who already made the Godfather films and Apocalypse Now didn't know how to properly adapt a novel seems ridiculous. One of the main problems with the film is that every frame of it tells you that it's based on a book. There really doesn't seem to have been any effort in the script other than shooting the important part of the novel and without all the details in the novel that is a disastrous choice.

Still, even with all those problems, it does manage to be pretty decent. Even though a lot of stuff does seem stupid, it tries to explore a handful of themes in a way that is also appealing to teenagers without completely losing its footing. The ensemble teenage cast is such a wonder to look back now, who would've thought a lot of them would go on to become some of the biggest names in the industry, let alone the delinquent friend side character would go on to become one of the biggest stars in the whole world. The issues dealt with seems a bit heavy-handed and artificial which wouldn't have felt as problematic if the direction was a bit more cleaner and more importantly if the writing was better.