About this episode

The hosts discuss the film adaptation of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, exploring its themes, cast, and cultural impact.

“Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.” Join Ian, Kev & Liam for our 339th episode as we rumble with Greasers, dodge the Socs, and revisit Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders (1983). Megs isn't with us this week — she was offered membership of both the Socs and the Greasers, refused to pick a side, and is currently attempting to negotiate peace between the two gangs over a chocolate milkshake. This week we discuss: The extraordinary young cast — before they became household names. Cruise, Swayze, Estevez, Dillon, Macchio, Howell... has there ever been a more stacked ensemble of future stars? Coppola's adaptation — does the film successfully capture the heart of the novel, or is something lost in the transition from page to screen? We spend far too long talking about the World Cup — and somehow convince ourselves it's completely relevant. (It probably isn't.) Ian, Liam and Kev decide whether they're Socs or Greasers — and discover that class identity may not be quite as straightforward as they first thought. The floating heads... — artistic flourish, bizarre distraction, or one of the strangest stylistic choices in a major studio film? Ian breaks down the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ian, Kev, Liam

Topics covered

• coming-of-age themes
• class identity
• film adaptation
• masculinity
• rivalries
• young cast

Keywords

• The Outsiders
• Francis Ford Coppola
• S.E. Hinton
• coming-of-age
• class identity
• masculinity
• young actors
• film adaptation

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, Francis Ford Coppola

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