Critic Reviews

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Rebel Without a Cause (1955) a score of 3.5667 out of 4

based on (63) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(44)

Very Good

(19)

Good

(0)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Boxoffice Magazine

Because of his outstanding, widely acclaimed performance in "East of Eden" and because of the additional public interest generated by his recent, deplorable, tragic death, the name of James Dean in the title role should in itself assure a profitable ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Boxoffice Magazine

Guardian/Observer

"Apart from the melodramatic music and homosexual undertow "Rebel" remains a camp, iconoclastic response to Sunset Boulevard and the crass ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Guardian/Observer

LeisureSuit.net

Father-son relationships need not be complicated to be profound. There need not be abuse, or drunkenness, or teenage rebellion for a father's ghost to wander the battlements of his son's psychological castle. ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at LeisureSuit.net

DVDBeaver

A little stale by todays standards but there are still moments that stand out. Better than watching most of the pulp-teen-flicks out there. ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at DVDBeaver

San Francisco Chronicle (Peter Stack)

Every decade -- but not more often -- they ought to dust off and polish up ``Rebel Without a Cause,'' the famous wallow in alienated teen life. The melodrama may be stilted, but the film still breathes like a hurt, brooding animal. It's an indelible ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Peter Stack)

Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)

There is a moment in Rebel Without a Cause when James Dean, playing angst-ridden teenage rebel Jim Stark, peers over a cliff as if spying his future. Looking much like one imagines Holden Caulfield (hero of J.D. Salinger's template for disaffected ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)

DVD MovieGuide

For many of us who weren't born until long after the Fifties ended, we've been stuck with a Happy Days view of the decade. ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at DVD MovieGuide

Film Threat (Brad Laidman)

East of Eden is definitely the stronger movie, but this performance is likely to be the one that tugged and forever defined the unexplainable angst of youth. ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Film Threat (Brad Laidman)

DVDnett.no

Rebel without a cause - eller RotlÃ¸s ungdom, som nordmenn best kjenner den som - er klassikeren fra 1955 som var med pÃ¥ Ã¥ etablere James Deans image som ensom og fÃ¸lsom ulv - en typisk "loner". Han ble de utstÃ¸tte individualisters forbilde, og ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at DVDnett.no

MCA DiscoVision Library

Rebel Without a Cause was part of the Warner Home Video Catalog to be announced on DiscoVision and was included in the original Silver Catalog. Of all the titles which were announced, only 2 were ever mastered or pressed. Rebel Without a Cause was ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at MCA DiscoVision Library

filmcritic.com

Rebel Without a Cause, the second of the three films James Dean starred in before his untimely death, is the movie that made him an instant legend. Released just 27 days after his fatal car crash, the film froze him in time and later took on even more ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at filmcritic.com

Apollo Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)

Jim Stark is angry, confused and lonely. In other words, he's a typical teen. This film has some potent and poetic moments between the melodrama, and is worth seeing if just for the remarkable performances by James Dean and Sal Mineo. ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Apollo Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)

Time Out

Dean's finest film, hardly surprisingly in that Ray was one of the great '50s directors. The story, much imitated since, might sound like nothing much - unsettled adolescent from good home can't keep himself out of trouble, and gets involved with bad ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Time Out

DVD MovieGuide

For many of us who werenâ��t born until long after the Fifties ended, weâ��ve been stuck with a Happy Days view of the decade. It always has been portrayed as a very clean-cut, innocent time with none of the angst or rebellion apparent during the more ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at DVD MovieGuide

filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

"Rebel Without a Cause" had an outstanding, if unfortunate, promotional gimmick. Young, charismatic lead James Dean, his star on the rise from his performance in the highly successful "East of Eden", died in a car accident less than a month before ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)

A classic film due to James Deans presence. An interesting film in that it demonstrates how teenagers really have not changed. Every generation grows up with similar problems. Its just to bad not every generation has such a charismatic actor as James ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)

Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)

"Schizo": Meet the James Dean of Central Asia If you can imagine "Rebel Without a Cause" transported to the desolate Central Asian steppes of the former Soviet Union, that movie would be "Schizo," the impressive debut feature from Kazakh director Guka ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)

Damox Movie Review

To this film's credit, elements from it have been imitated many times over the past fifty years, from Back to the Future (main character won't let people get away with calling him a chicken) to The Simpsons and just about everything in between. The ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at Damox Movie Review

DVDownUnder (Cass)

James Dean! The legendary god from the 50's. In what can only be described as the biggest blockbuster of his career. Why? I'm not quite sure yet. ...read the complete Rebel Without a Cause movie review at DVDownUnder (Cass)

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