It’s interesting how certain stories tend to repeat themselves or are diced up into familiar components that eventually show up in other movies. Rebel Without a Cause was undeniably one of James Dean’s best and most memorable pictures since the title was perfect and the lead actor was great without argument. There are a lot of movies that share similar elements with this movie simply because there are a few pieces that became kind of generic over time after they were laid down for the first few times. One has to remember that if we’re really going to start looking at similarities it’s necessary to think that these types of stories have been told over and over throughout the years and it’s easy to see the parallels and similarities after a while. The great part though is that with each new generation the similarities remain, but the look of them has been changed just enough to keep with the times. Let’s be honest, there’s only one James Dean, but many have tried to follow after him.
Here are a few movies that are kind of similar to Rebel Without a Cause.
5. The Outsiders
There shouldn’t be any question as to how this is similar since the group of guys that are set against one another kind of mirrors the whole idea of the James Dean movie from start to finish. There’s a serious absence of parenting skills in this movie even if there are those that try to take over the role, but the tension that builds between the various characters is enough to make it clear that there are two distinct groups that simply don’t like one another. There’s also the dynamic between two good friends that ends in tragedy, which helps to shape a good amount of the story throughout the movie.
4. Cry Baby
Yes, it’s a goofy movie, and yes, it’s one of those that people have likely forgotten over the years, but it’s also something that stars Johnny Depp as a young man and still explores the idea of how a group of troubled kids continually clash with those who are accepted by society. The whole idea of us vs. them is one that is seen in a lot of different movies, but narrowing it down and pitting two groups against one another is one of the key elements that make some of these movies work. Also, the musical aspect of this movie made it a little sillier, but also made it something that was at least a little bit unique.
3. The Breakfast Club
The parents are a big element of this movie that brought it to mind when thinking of Rebel Without a Cause since several of the parents are simply clueless when it comes to dealing with their kids, while a couple of them are simply horrible. As far as the kids go, there’s a definite rebel among them, but by the end of the movie, it feels as though the rebellious streak has finally touched all of them while the biggest rebel might finally have learned how to accept other people that are vastly different from what he’s used to. The whole rebellious attitude that’s often seen by teenagers is played up in the movies to a very big degree.
2. Grease
Once again the us vs. them mentality is very strong in this movie since the whole idea of teenagers being rebellious, seeking to live out their own lives, and tending to cause or get into trouble is a pretty common theme in a lot of movies that deal with younger people. This particular tale is more of a love story than anything and has been a classic for many years now. In fact, it’s one of those movies that tends to get brought up quite often since people can’t get enough of it and tend to feel the need to reenact several scenes over and over again. Even if the sequel wasn’t that great it’s still something that people can’t help but talk about continuously.
1. A Bronx Tale
This might sound like an odd comparison since the main character, C, doesn’t really rebel as much as anyone else on this list, but he’s definitely someone that’s at odds with his father and with a few other people during the course of the movie. Growing up in a world, in a neighborhood in fact, where violence is a common thing and he has parents trying to look out for him and a gangster that’s taken a liking to him becomes a confusing time as he has to figure out how to navigate the world he’s living in while things keep changing as he grows up. There’s no doubt that C wants to do well and values the people in his life, but sometimes the people in his life become a little too dangerous for his own good.
Deep down inside all of us, there’s a rebellious streak, some folks are just worse at hiding it. the rebellious streak
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