9 Teen Rivalry Movies that Will Make You Feel Like an Outsider

By Rahul Rajput On Sep 18, 2023

The popular movie “The Outsiders” is based on a book by S.E. Hinton. It came out in 1983, and Francis Ford Coppola was in charge of making it. In a small town, two groups of teenagers, the “Greasers” and the “Socs,” are enemies.

The main ideas of the movie are that young people are trying to figure out who they are and where they belong, that money and social class can make people different, that friendship and loyalty are important, and that violence has bad results.

People like this movie because the characters are real and easy to understand. Also, young stars like Tom Cruise and Matt Dillon do a great job in it. The movie’s ideas are still important today, and a well-known director did a good job making it.

If you liked “The Outsiders” and want to see more movies with similar themes about youth, identity, friendship, and social problems, here are nine more:

1. Stand by Me (1986)

Stand by Me is a touching coming-of-age movie based on a Stephen King short story. It shows how Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern, four young friends, go on a journey to find the body of a boy who has gone missing.

Their journey takes them through the beautiful Oregon woods, where they face danger and find new things. Along the way, they face their own problems, deal with bullies, and talk about their fears and hopes.

Stand by Me is a sad and emotional movie that shows what childhood friendships are like and how bittersweet it is to grow up. The young actors give great performances, but River Phoenix as Chris Chambers stands out.

2. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

In the movie Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean plays Jim Stark, a troubled boy whose family moves to a new town.

: Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

He quickly gets caught up in a sad love triangle and a web of teenage angst and rebellion. Jim makes friends with Judy and Plato, two other troubled teens. Together, they figure out how to deal with growing up, family, and society’s demands.

Rebel Without a Cause is a classic movie that is a lot like The Outsiders, which is about the difficulties of young people. The famous role of Jim Stark, played by James Dean, is both strong and vulnerable.

3. The Breakfast Club (1985)

John Hughes’s movie The Breakfast Club is a great example of an 80s movie. It forces five high school kids from different groups to spend a Saturday in detention together: the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal.

As they talk to each other and share their stories, they find things they have in common and form ties that they didn’t expect.

Like The Outsiders, The Breakfast Club looks at how different people and class labels affect each other. The skilled young actors and John Hughes’s skillful writing make the characters easy to relate to and love.

4. Dead Poets Society (1989)

The play Dead Poets Society takes place in a strict all-boys prep school. John Keating, played by Robin Williams, is an English teacher who encourages his students to seize the day and believe in the power of writing and being themselves.

His unusual ways of teaching go against the rules of the school, which makes a big difference in the lives of his students.

Both Dead Poets Society and The Outsiders are about people trying to find who they are and how a guide can change their lives.

5. Almost Famous (2000)

Cameron Crowe’s movie Almost Famous is partly based on his own life. It’s about a young hopeful music journalist named William Miller (played by Patrick Fugit) who gets the chance to go on tour with a made-up rock band called Stillwater.

Along the way, he gets close to the members of the band and sees how wild and emotional rock ‘n’ roll was in the 1970s.

Almost Famous is an interesting and nostalgic movie that gives a unique look into the world of music journalism and the rock music scene of the 1970s. It does this in the same way that The Outsiders shows what teenage friendships are really like.

6. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused is a slice-of-life movie that takes place in the 1970s. It shows how a group of high school kids deal with identity, rebellion, and coming of age on the last day of school.

: Dazed and Confused (1993)

The movie shows how young people feel and what it’s like to grow up in a small place.

Dazed and Confused is a cult movie that, like The Outsiders, looks at what it’s like to be a teenager and the problems they face. In their early parts, Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck are among the actors in the ensemble cast who give real, moving performances.

7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

The movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower is based on Stephen Chbosky’s book of the same name. Chbosky also directed the movie.

It’s about Charlie, a shy student in high school (played by Logan Lerman) who is dealing with a personal tragedy. He becomes close with his step-siblings Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller) and goes through the highs and lows of being a teenager.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a lot like The Outsiders in that it deals with the problems of youth, trauma, and the search for respect. Logan Lerman gives a moving performance as Charlie, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller shine in their parts.

8. Boyhood (2014)

Richard Linklater’s Boyhood is a unique movie that was shot over the course of 12 years. It follows Mason’s (played by Ellar Coltrane) life from childhood to young adulthood, showing the trials and milestones of growing up in a real and unbroken way.

Like The Outsiders, Boyhood shows youth and the passing of time in an honest and unvarnished way.

9. River’s Edge (1986)

Tim Hunter is in charge of the dark thriller River’s Edge. It shows how a group of teens react when one of them kills someone in a shocking way. The story is mostly about their moral problems and how they don’t care about the crime.

River’s Edge looks at the darker side of youth, like how The Outsiders shows the problems young people face. The sad mood of the movie and the way it looks at moral uncertainty make it a good way to think.