Did this movie have a big impact on you as a teen?

Would be interested in hearing anyone's story?

I think this movie may have ruined my life.

I watched it as a teen and now I'm 35+. It had a big affect on me to the point where it was world view shaping. I was an extremely bored teen, with parent problems - and so I found it very relatable. I had arguments with my parents which were almost line for line as Matthew Brodericks.

I say it MAY have ruined my life because it encouraged my already pathologically rebellious personality. And confirmed a few ideas in my head, that might not have bore much fruit in life.

Firstly, it encouraged a dislike of the establishment and education. It depicted scholarship students as miserable, depressed 'squares'. I already hated education and this movie just affirmed that view to me. But now I'm all grown up, I'm not sure that was ever true? And may be just a stereotype. I kind of wish I could have gone to a good university - and now I'm looking to send my kids to the best university I can afford.

Secondly, it encouraged me to look at everyone in society as a hypocrite, in one way or another. This is something I'd always felt. And Sean Connery's character was the only person on screen I'd ever seen confirm such a profound view like that. As Gypsies were the only people that met with his approval via his saying 'Not a hypocritical bone in their bodies'. But this meant, I hardly had any friends growing up. And I was proud of being alone. Not sure that's a successful thing in life?

Thirdly, both father and son at the end of the movie confirm that the most fun they had was when they planned the robbery. This planted the idea in my head that living a straight-A life is unhealthy and leads to an eventual personality crash, which leads to an act of craziness to compensate. And so I avoided being straight-A in any way. I deliberately tried NOT fitting in anywhere in work or anywhere else. I've still got this idea in my head. And I'm not sure there was every any truth in it?


So just wondering if anyone else had been impacted by this movie in any way? For good or worse.