Review of Rebel Without a Cause (1955) by Randy P — 05 Oct 2008
Is it cheesy? Is it a little dated? Does it feel kind of like an early 30s propaganda film? Yes, yes, and yes. Let's get that out of the way right now. But, in spite of its flaws, "Rebel" comes together to paint a pretty intense picture of teen angst, henceforth defined as "emo".
And while emo is certainly (and rightfully) ripe for ridicule, it's easy to forget that under it all there could be a very broken human being. This movie does a pretty good job of exposing that part of youth.
The major flaw I found with it was that while it tried to be grounded firmly in reality, showing how these issues are what are REALLY affecting youth, its structure, events, and one-night-only narrative make the overall mood very unrealistic.
Beyond that, James Dean is a certified cool motherfucker and Natalie Wood is very pretty. Another case of "I can't believe it took me this long to watch this movie.".
This review of Rebel Without a Cause (1955) was written by Randy P on 05 Oct 2008.
Rebel Without a Cause has generally received very positive reviews.
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