comparison with Rebel Without a Cause is justified

it's comparison with Rebel Without a Cause is justified as there are many similarities with respect to father/son relationships, teens in trouble with the law, troubled youth/police authority, etc.

i think the acting and script is better in TYS as it attempts to better understand and explain why the dysfunctional family problems both stem from the poor communication between fathers and sons. Dean's character never seems able to verbal his anguish with his father. MacArthur's character spells this out quite accurately and emotionally at the dinner table scene. His mother reinforces her son's statements.

one major difference is that TYS doesn't contain a female love interest as Hal's character has a best friend whom he is seen innocently rolling around the grass with. we assume girls are not on Hal's radar at 16 and prefers to go to movies with his best friend. how accurate is this assumption? there appears to be more to this 'best friend' relationship which hasn't been fully flushed out and is only implied.

in the end this father/son dysfunction was ended and they begin their new friendlier father/son understanding. the classic Hollywood happy ending.



"We deal in lead, friend."