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Admittedly, it’s hard to say that anything about Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders is particularly obscure. Everything about it — from its characters to its plot — is now a thoroughly integrated part of America’s pop culture. Depending on one’s preferred genre, it might even be said that The Outsiders is the thread that holds many modern media pieces together. Yet, despite it all, the 1983 coming-of-age icon has been slowly fading into the background. It’s far from forgotten, but it doesn’t seem to have the same inexorable “pull” it once held. Maybe that’s just a natural consequence of the passage of time. As the saying goes, “nothing gold can stay.” But that doesn’t mean it’s worth forgetting.
As the film approaches its 50th anniversary, it remains as impactful as ever. Even at its worst, Francis Ford Coppola’s adolescent adventure is a shining example of cinematic storytelling and a loving adaptation of equally memorable source material. In fact, S. E. Hinton’s original story has already passed its semicentennial milestone. And, like Coppola’s film, it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
The Outsiders Is a Coming-of-Age Classic
- The film’s production was jump-started by a letter from Lone Star Elementary librarian Jo Ellen Misakian to Coppola. The correspondence praised Hinton’s book and nominated it for a film adaptation. 15 pages of children’s signatures were also included with the letter.
- The Outsiders’ leading actors famously became part of the “Brat Pack.” The pop culture term, first coined in 1985, is a spin on the “Rat Pack” of the 1950s and ‘60s. Unlike the young actors, the original Rat Pack was a group of high-profile entertainers from various industries.
While Coppola has made some remarkable original films, The Outsiders is not one of them. It is, instead, an adaptation of S. E. Hinton’s 1967 novel. While the story is not his own, the casting, cinematography, and gorgeous framing are.
The tale revolves around the recently orphaned Ponyboy Michael Curtiss (C. Thomas Howell), a member of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s rough-and-tumble Greaser gang. At the story’s start, both Ponyboy and his older brother, Sodapop (Rob Lowe), are cared for by their eldest brother, Darryl “Darry” Curtis (Patrick Swayze). A fervent idealist and dreamer, Ponyboy spends most of his time at the movies or dreaming of leaving Tulsa with his best friend, Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio).
Despite the poverty that runs rampant in Tulsa’s East Side, the Greasers form a tight-knit family group. They are both literal and self-styled gangsters. Their rivals, the Socs (short for “Socials”), live on the opposite side of town. One night, a member of this upperclassman gang, Bob Sheldon (Leif Garrett), accosts Ponyboy and attempts to drown him in the park fountain. He is then fatally stabbed by Johnny.
This accidental murder sets the stage for the film’s larger plot. Ponyboy and Johnny seek advice from Greaser and local delinquent menace Dallas “Dally” Winston (Matt Dillon). The seasoned petty criminal gives the duo money and directs them to an abandoned church in the nearby town of Windrixville. From here, the film’s narrative “meat” grows exponentially.
The Outsiders Thrives Because It Is More Than Empty Nostalgia
- In 2023, a stage musical adaptation of The Outsiders debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California. The musical moved to Broadway in 2024. A touring cast will begin its journey in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in Fall 2025.
- Both the Broadway and original La Jolla productions famously include falling “rain” during the climactic “rumble” sequence. The scene also includes simulated mud and blood to complete the illusory fight.
On the surface, The Outsiders may seem like nostalgia bait. Nobody could have known that its cast would go on to become some of Hollywood’s most beloved personalities. Now, in hindsight, it’s the perfect mix of (mostly) rose-tinted lenses that begs for starry-eyed and beaten-down audiences. Without digging too deeply, it’s easy to read The Outsiders as an empty, over-hyped slog.
And, for some, it might be just that. Media enjoyment is always subjective. One person’s favorite movie — say, for example, Brian De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise — could be the majority’s definition of a through-and-through stinker. The Outsiders is no different. Despite its high praise, there are still flaws. Dally’s death scene, for instance, is a glaring and misplaced example of unintentional hamminess.
But no film is perfect. The Outsiders has its flaws, but it also has a nigh-unbreakable backbone. Where many adaptations of beloved novels fail, Coppola’s vision thrives. Yes, there’s that oil-streaked ‘60s aesthetic; the metallic twang of rockabilly music fills some gaps. It is, without a doubt, a somewhat nostalgic film. But, crucially, the ‘60s set dressings are just part of the tale.
The Outsiders Is a Novel Adaptation Done Right
- Author S. E. Hinton appears as a nurse in the film. Behind the scenes, she served as a mother figure for the young cast. Hinton also worked alongside Coppola to produce The Outsiders’ screenplay.
- Coppola filmed The Outsiders on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2019, Ponyboy’s refurbished house, now bearing the address of “731 Curtis Brothers Lane,” opened to the public as The Outsiders House Museum.
S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is — and likely always will be — a beloved part of countless English class curricula. Her coming-of-age tale may not have all the tech and gadgets modern kids love, but it’s still a perennial hit. Despite occasional challenges from uptight parents, The Outsiders has become a tried-and-true facet of a well-rounded reading list. Thus, it has a special place in many childhoods. By extension, so, too, does the film.
And Coppola understood that fact well. When he crafted the film, he made it with an eye for literary details. The result speaks for itself. It goes above and beyond most literary adaptations, carefully weaving in even the tiniest of Hinton’s written details. While some scenes were cut, the film stubbornly retains its source’s core messaging.
Coppola’s devotion to Hinton’s novel is one of its greatest draws and one of the reasons this film deserves even more praise than it already gets. Few directors have created such dedicated replicas. Even fewer have done so and made something that will stand the test of time. The Outsiders is both a meticulously crafted coming-of-age story and a cinematic classic.
And, yes, that source comes with built-in nostalgia. The Outsiders was penned in the 1960s; it only makes sense for its setting to have similar ideals. In crafting Hinton’s world, Coppola invariably created an echo of America’s past. But he did so with a larger goal in mind. The Outsiders, thanks in large part to its enduring story, is more than its aesthetic parts.
The Outsiders
PG Crime Drama
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