REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

Thatcher's Rating: A

Year: 1955
Cast: James Dean, Natalie Wood
Genre: Drama/Romance
MPAA Rating: Approved          

           Rebel Without a Cause isn't just a movie in my words, but rather a masterpiece. Somewhat of a cult classic as well considering it wasn't meant to be one. After all, you can't just say "I'm going to go out and make a cult classic" and hope that it ends in success. 

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           First off, let me start out with what REALLY makes this movie...the star, James Dean. Mister Dean is a personal favorite of mine considering he's not all that meets the eye. He appeared to be a young, different teenager with a blonde pompadour and a  heaping dose of swagger. People knew who he was when he walked in the room, his icy eyes hold a whole different past. As soon as you see him onscreen crawling up to a toy monkey with cymbals at the introduction of the film, you get a sense of foreshadowing as if anything could happen from here on out. James Dean does more then make an appearance, he imprints himself in your brain. And this is why he's the only person who was able to fit Jim Stark, the story's protagonist. The film opens with Stark getting busted for petty drunkenness. As he stumbles around the station, two more characters are partially introduced; Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo). There's more to them later on, but the introduction of them using a slight camera view and intro to what their feelings are about their actions is fantastically done. Things are intriguing until Jim's parents arrive, played by Jim Backus (Mr. Magoo) and Ann Doran. I would like to briefly applaud Jim Backus who blends into this role like a chameleon. What you see is an all around pleasant guy; he says practically all the right things and can say something sad or negative without crushing your heart. I felt the decision to have a comedian play a character with emotional issues was a perfect and ironic choice, as Jim's dad struggles with being a push-over (Jim's mother being the pusher) to the dismay of Jim himself. This back and forth argument is so clearly existent in a scene at the station. The realism and honesty of teenage angst and parental confusion is the beating heart of this picture and I praise it strongly for that. When no others could portray this rampant concept, director Nicholas Ray was able to and lets it out of it's cage to run free. You've got to see this film, not only will you be able to connect with it on such a deep and emotional level, but it's entertaining and you'll love to see the best bits of James Dean's short life (R.I.P.)

Written by Thatcher Boyd