I originally watched this movie as a late night movie in the 90s and thought it was OK. I re-watched it recently as I enjoy old 80s movies for the nostalgia; particularly movies starring Estevez. I didn't realize this movie had any connection to SE Hinton so I held no bias regarding a comparison with the novel.
When I watched The Outsiders (having no familiarity with that novel either), the greasers came across as a little too sugary sweet at times; but that's just my opinion. The Outsiders was a good movie but I didn't relate to the 50s time period and I held no particular affection to the story since it was not a novel I read growing up. Though I do understand that this is not a sequel to The Outsiders, this movie feels like it's in a completely different universe than The Outsiders; the sets of movie take place in the big-city while The Outsiders takes place in small town America. I actually found this movie more relatable when I watched this in my younger years, though I can see how it might be a miss to someone familiar with the novel.
While the novel was to take place in the 60's, this is clearly set in the 80s as evidenced by the clothing. Bryon's (Scheffer) clothes on the date scene are quintessentially 80s - an oversized shirt with rolled up sleeves & puffy Bulgle Boy style pants. Mark (Estevez) is wearing a green pastel shirt with rolled up sleeves. Also, Terry starts spitting out that clumsy 80s hip-hop rap. A 66' Thunderbird is featured in the movie that's offered by Charlie but that single prop didn't impress on me that this was taking place in the 60s. I actually appreciate the 80s feel as it made the movie more relatable when I watched it in my younger years (early 90s for me). On the other hand, I have to wonder if this was an attempt to make the movie more commercially successful by trying to assimilate with many other 80s teen coming-of-age stories being released at that time.
Even with a screenplay adaptation, the writing is insightful. Most coming of age stories have a happy ending where this one is less hopeful - some folks will grow up while others won't. There's a sadness when Bryon and Mark realize things are changing. To me, this is the most impactful and relatable scene in the movie. The other scene with depth is Bryon coming to realize that he can't control Mark's actions and behavior. It's a shame that more of today's teen movies don't delve into these heavy topics. I can appreciate any narrative that treats teens as adults as a young people tend to meet the expectations set on them.
That being said, the characterizations are a bit off. Mark and Bryon come across as more of jocks - not the kind of group that would casually steal cars and laugh about it. Bryon wants to put the silly behavior behind him so his more clean cut appearance makes sense but you never actually see much of a conversion from delinquent to being clean cut besides Mark razzing him about being a drag and commenting about how, in the past, he wouldn't so easily let go of rival's slights.
Had more been revealed about Mark and Bryon's back story as delinquents, it would have made the theme of maturity and growing up more impactful. Mark could have worn clothes more akin to John Bender in Breakfast Club rather than the letter-jacket adorned by Estevez's jock character in the same movie. This alone would have better pointed out the juxtaposition of Bryon growing up while Mark was hanging on to his troubled younger years. Regardless, in my opinion, Estevez does pull off playing the role of a hoodlum.
Though a bit disjointed, I still really enjoy the movie. I actually re-watch this one from time to time for late night entertainment.
When I watched The Outsiders (having no familiarity with that novel either), the greasers came across as a little too sugary sweet at times; but that's just my opinion. The Outsiders was a good movie but I didn't relate to the 50s time period and I held no particular affection to the story since it was not a novel I read growing up. Though I do understand that this is not a sequel to The Outsiders, this movie feels like it's in a completely different universe than The Outsiders; the sets of movie take place in the big-city while The Outsiders takes place in small town America. I actually found this movie more relatable when I watched this in my younger years, though I can see how it might be a miss to someone familiar with the novel.
While the novel was to take place in the 60's, this is clearly set in the 80s as evidenced by the clothing. Bryon's (Scheffer) clothes on the date scene are quintessentially 80s - an oversized shirt with rolled up sleeves & puffy Bulgle Boy style pants. Mark (Estevez) is wearing a green pastel shirt with rolled up sleeves. Also, Terry starts spitting out that clumsy 80s hip-hop rap. A 66' Thunderbird is featured in the movie that's offered by Charlie but that single prop didn't impress on me that this was taking place in the 60s. I actually appreciate the 80s feel as it made the movie more relatable when I watched it in my younger years (early 90s for me). On the other hand, I have to wonder if this was an attempt to make the movie more commercially successful by trying to assimilate with many other 80s teen coming-of-age stories being released at that time.
Even with a screenplay adaptation, the writing is insightful. Most coming of age stories have a happy ending where this one is less hopeful - some folks will grow up while others won't. There's a sadness when Bryon and Mark realize things are changing. To me, this is the most impactful and relatable scene in the movie. The other scene with depth is Bryon coming to realize that he can't control Mark's actions and behavior. It's a shame that more of today's teen movies don't delve into these heavy topics. I can appreciate any narrative that treats teens as adults as a young people tend to meet the expectations set on them.
That being said, the characterizations are a bit off. Mark and Bryon come across as more of jocks - not the kind of group that would casually steal cars and laugh about it. Bryon wants to put the silly behavior behind him so his more clean cut appearance makes sense but you never actually see much of a conversion from delinquent to being clean cut besides Mark razzing him about being a drag and commenting about how, in the past, he wouldn't so easily let go of rival's slights.
Had more been revealed about Mark and Bryon's back story as delinquents, it would have made the theme of maturity and growing up more impactful. Mark could have worn clothes more akin to John Bender in Breakfast Club rather than the letter-jacket adorned by Estevez's jock character in the same movie. This alone would have better pointed out the juxtaposition of Bryon growing up while Mark was hanging on to his troubled younger years. Regardless, in my opinion, Estevez does pull off playing the role of a hoodlum.
Though a bit disjointed, I still really enjoy the movie. I actually re-watch this one from time to time for late night entertainment.