| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| C. Thomas Howell | ... | Ponyboy Curtis | |
| Matt Dillon | ... | Dallas Winston | |
| Ralph Macchio | ... | Johnny Cade | |
| Patrick Swayze | ... | Darrel Curtis | |
| Rob Lowe | ... | Sodapop Curtis | |
| Emilio Estevez | ... | Two-Bit Matthews | |
| Tom Cruise | ... | Steve Randle | |
| Glenn Withrow | ... | Tim Shepard | |
| Diane Lane | ... | Cherry Valance | |
| Leif Garrett | ... | Bob Sheldon | |
| Darren Dalton | ... | Randy Anderson | |
| Michelle Meyrink | ... | Marcia | |
| Tom Waits | ... | Buck Merrill | |
| Gailard Sartain | ... | Jerry | |
| William Smith | ... | Store Clerk | |
Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1965. Fourteen-year-old Ponyboy Curtis is the youngest of three orphaned brothers who live on the north side of town, the "wrong side" of the tracks. Sensitive Ponyboy used to have a good relationship with his oldest brother Darrel, but since Darrel became the household caregiver, he is always on Ponyboy's case. Caught in the middle is third brother Sodapop, who dropped out of school to work full time. They all belong to The Greasers, a gang of boys from the north side also from working class families, often broken. Ponyboy's main concern is that any problem they may encounter, especially in their Greaser activities, will lead to the authorities splitting up their family. He also believes Darrel would have outgrown them and become something in his life if it wasn't for his loyalty to the gang, and the need to take care of the family. The rest of the world sees the Greasers as all the same, the face being Dallas Winston, the most volatile one who has just been released... Written by Huggo
I had to read the book in seventh grade and we also watched the movie. I though both of them were fabulous. Francis Ford Coppola has adapted almost every detail of the book into this movie. I thought the acting was great and the plot was good for teenagers, which is the movie's, as well as the book's, target audience. I was surprised on how many stars were in this movie (seven) and it was much better than I thought it would be. It didn't seem cheesy and small but you felt like you were watching a real film. Even though the Greasers seem to be born into undesirable lives, watching this movie makes you want to go back to 1967 in the Southwest and be a Greaser, too. Fabulous movie and perfect for teenagers.