My sisters and I found ourselves laughing more watching this movie than any comedy we've ever seen. The melodrmaamtic line deliveries, the overacting, and the outdated story made it difficult to take this so-called classic seriously.

Featuring a legacy-defining performance from James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause is the quintessential treatise on teen angst and 1950s counterculture.

I was curious to watch this film as I had never seen anything with James Dean in it before. His red jacket photos from this film are iconic so I was looking forward to seeing it. Sadly, the movie felt messy, extremely rushed, and unrealistic/over the top as far as what real people would act like. It’s like every character has some personality disorder. SPOILERS BELOW!!! Plato is revealed at the very beginning to kill puppies. How on Earth am I supposed to feel any kind of connection or remorse for him? The other teens in the gang and Natalie Wood’s role as Judy, were all boring, spoiled, needy, and lacking any character development. James Dean definitely over-acted at times but I could see why people thought he was good in this. He has a very James Franco (troubled ladies man) vibe going on. The cringiest part of the movie was Judy wanting to kiss her dad on the lips and be his “little girl” even though she’s not a little girl anymore. Her dad calls her a tramp at the beginning of the movie. Her character is written like a girl who can’t live one minute without a boy. She and the other main characters have hardcore daddy issues. Also, looking into the movie trivia about Woods, the director, and the actor playing her dad…it is disturbing to say the least. Natalie had an affair with both men who were middle-aged while she was only 16!! I know this is old Hollywood but it’s still gross. I REALLY DONT WANT TO WATCH THIS AGAIN.

It is a movie that suffers from terrible pacing problems

This is just one of those classics that didn't do it for me.

Clássico da metade do século passado que envelheceu muito bem e praticamente o último filme de Dean, que faleceria no fatídico acidente de carro no mesmo ano, com meros 24 anos. Ainda conta com Natalie Wood em sua plenitude, além do Sal Mineo (ambos indicados ao Oscar de atriz/ator coadjuvante em 1956). Roteiro impactante pra época, mas que certamente serve aos dias atuais, abordando conflitos emocionais e angustiantes das fases problemáticas dos adolescentes. A juventude em busca de identidade em meio a uma sociedade que não a compreende. Inclusive é citado nos periódicos da eternidade, que James Dean se tornou um ícone da juventude rebelde e incompreendida. Obrigatório a todas as idades.

Well, it is s timeless classic. But it suffers immensily under the permanent „soup“ of overly dramatic and too loud music.

The obvious must be stated. The actors do not look like High School students, way too old. The acting is earnest. The parents are cartoonish figures which at times have an element of truth in their performances. The film lacks authenticity. Cops shooting warning shots or refusing to shoot back at Sal Mineo when he shoots at them, absurd. The teens make decisions which are so idiotic no one can believe such. Good performances but little credibility.

Unusual, mysterious, highly abrasive, and emotionally/morally confused, 'Rebel Without a Cause' captures the teenage mindset so perfectly and never lets go of its transcendent themes.

This was such a great film with exceptional acting and script. It's definitely worth the watch.

What's a jerkpot you may ask?

One of my all time favourite movies this is the movie that made the late James Dean a mega Hollywood it's really sad he wasn't here to witness

The stars in Rebel Without a Cause were Dean, Natalie Wood, and Backus. However, the movie seemed to have no plot but rebellion, apparently against materialistic American society. Dean was too old for the part at 24 years old. He was suppose to be a teenager. Dean also seemed to be copying Brando in the Wild One (1953). Wood and Backus gave good performances. Dean was good in his role, but maybe this was not his best movie.

Providing a good dosage of social commentary and a youthful, fast-paced plot to go with James Dean's splendid performance, Rebel Without a Cause is a recommended watch that unfortunately also is slightly exaggerared, unfocused and chopped up.

Yeah, we all know what rebel's without a cause still care about. She'd better not want him to do anything, later, either.

i actually loved this movie so much. i kind of expected the ending, but that didn't stop it from making me cry😭

Am I the only one who couldn't make it past the halfway mark!? It just felt like a messy and stupid plot, with characters that I couldn't care less about.

Time for another episode of Me Criticizing Beloved Classics When No One Asked! Basically, this movie is two halves which each belong to some other, better movie. The first half sets up a lot of really interesting ideas around coming of age, parental abuse, domestic violence, and unchecked ego. The second half follows up on completely separate concepts focusing entirely on a new character, a misfit romance, and a police shootout. The movie would have been amazing if it actually followed up on the ideas it introduced, but it feels like the writers didn't know what to do with it so they just went for clichés and shock factor instead of emotional closure. James Dean does give a solid, iconic performance and I really love a lot of the dialogue. But that's not enough for me to overlook the obvious flaws in this classic. Bring on the haters.

Dean lives forever with this performance. Don't be a chicken and watch this 🍿

First time ever watching this. Probably the last time as well. I don't understand the fascination with this film. It's simply a mediocre film at best. That first scene was really hard to get through. But having seen the entire film now, I understand why it was necessary. It introduces us to the main three characters and gives us a preview of the struggles each one is going through. Jim (Dean) is struggling with the fact that his father is weak, and always feels like he needs to prove himself. Judy (Wood) is at odds with the fact that her father doesn't love her as much because she is growing up. Plato (Mineo) is seeking the love a parental figure because his parents have practically abandoned him. Each character finds something they are missing within the scope of the other characters. So the three of them essentially become a family. Simple enough story, but maybe I've seen the teenager tropes in so many movies throughout my life that this seems like just another movie. I feel like James Dean severely overacted at certain times and it really turned me off to it all. I feel Like Natalie Wood was the star in this. She just caught my attention and it felt right. Mineo was half way decent, a bit whiny for my liking, but cool. Films of this era are so simple and straightforward, with many films copying the style. I guess this movie doesn't resonate more with me, because I feel like I've seen this same (or similar) situation before. All in all, it's a perfectly watchable movie. Typical teenager issues arise, and some serious consequences are paid at the end. I wouldn't feel bad about recommending this film, especially since it's considered a classic. This gets a LennyReviewz Score of: 6/10