After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.
"The bad boy from a good family."
Top Billed Cast
James Dean
Jim Stark
Natalie Wood
Judy
Sal Mineo
John 'Plato' Crawford
Jim Backus
Frank Stark
Ann Doran
Carol Stark
Corey Allen
Buzz Gunderson
William Hopper
Judy's Father
Rochelle Hudson
Judy's Mother
Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews
F Filipe Manuel NetoVerified TMDB Critic
2024-03-14
**An iconic, culturally significant film that helped immortalize James Dean.**
This is one of those classic films when the theme is teenage rebellion and generational clash. It is undoubtedly good, with a good story and good actors – it is the film that marked James Dean's short career – and continues to be a regular presence in classics cycles and specialty TV channels.
The film explores quite well the difficult relationship between parents and their children within the wealthiest families, and the way in which this tension has a decisive influence on the latter's delinquent behavio...
C CinemaSerfVerified TMDB Critic
2026-06-20
"Jim" (James Dean) is a kid with a troubled past whose parents have relocated to give him a bit of a fresh start at his new school. Pretty swiftly, though, he falls in with the wrong crowd - the sort that have flick-knife fights - and it looks like we are in for a repeat performance. Luckily for him, he has also two more benign influences on his new life. One is "Judy" (Natalie Wood) who comes from a decent home and the other is "Plato" (Sal Mineo) whose appreciation of his new friend borders on the acolytic. At home, he isn't neglected or unloved but his mother (Ann Doran) is constantly at hi...
