Had to have it
I had seen and read this book 24 years ago and I just had to own it. The story is as true to life for young people today as it was back then. Timeless!!

outsiders a hit with new generation
Bought this movie after my 10th grader did a book report on the Outsiders. They loved it and had to show all their friends. Took it on vacation and they watched it on the way there, there, and on the way home.

I Love Cherry.
The Outsiders is a good film but I've grown sick of it over the years. Matt Dillion, Ralph Macchio, and C. Thomas Howell give the best performances in this all-star cast. I like the story but the look of this film is so dated and washed-out. This is a film every young adult should watch, and hey look for a red-headed Diane Lane who plays the beautiful but stubborn Cherry. Give this film a try sometime.

RUINED.
Boy, what a train-wreck of a movie this is now. The addition of endless pseudo-surf-style instrumentals ruins this otherwise classic. Surf music in a movie about Oklahoma teenagers? Unless there are waves and surfers somewhere in Oklahoma City I don't know about, it simply DOES NOT WORK. In addition, the music is EVERYWHERE. There is not one moment of silence left in this film anymore. There used to be spaces of silent introspection, punctuated by a distant dog bark or a train whine - now they are gone, replaced with the sound of some hyped-up surf instrumental that tries to sound like "American Graffiti" (I can only guess) by incorporating period music. Hard to imagine Soda Pop grabbing his board on the way to the rumble saying, "COWABUNGA!" It's just an awful, awful mistake and a bad attempt at hipness that is in complete historical and cultural disregard. In fact, Coppolla himself painted the perfect picture of tension between greaser music and surf music of the time, way back in "American Graffiti" when John Milner turned off the Beach Boys in his car! I can think of more appropriate choices for background music from that period appropriate to the "greaser" style than surf rock!! Better find the old version of this movie - or at least a set of earplugs, or some real greaser-inspired music of the era.

Different but good
This movie is more true to the book. I have to admit, all the music being played during most of the scenes was a bit distracting. It took me some time to get used to that. I've seen the original around 25 times, so the whole thing seemed a bit bizarre at first. Definately worth watching, lots of good behind the scenes stuff too.