Rebels Without a Cause proves to be an absolute classic that will definitely appeal to teenaged audiences. The movie revolves around Jim Stark, a teenager that has experience moving from town to town. Jim is forced to move once again after getting into a fight with one of the other kids, which resulted in the other kid going to the hospital, but the clean slate intended for Jim at this new town in Los Angeles immediately becomes corrupted. Jim finds himself at the local police station for being drunk in public on Easter, and it is here where he first meets Plato and Judy, who are both at the station for problems of their own. Judy is there because her father treats her horribly, and Plato's there because he doesn't have any real family to take care of him, leading him to get into trouble. Although Jim meets Judy and Plato this night, he doesn't realize how much of an impact they're about to have on his life. The next day Jim goes to his first day of school at the new town and quickly learns how being new brings its own problems along with it. Jim almost immediately creates an enemy in Buzz, a tough gang leader that bosses around his group, who quickly challenges Jim to a challenge where they will have to nearly drive over a cliff. To make matters worse, Jim begins to fall for Judy, despite how she's actually with Buzz. However, there is one bright spot in Jim befriending Plato, but it even that won't help Jim as he deals with much greater problems. As Jim begins to have to deal with all of the horrors of being a new kid, he soon learns that all of his problems matter quite a significant amount, despite how his parents tell him that they don't. 
 Rebels Without a Cause proves to be a true classic that will still please audiences with its ability to show just how difficult teenagers' lives can be. While the movie has certainly aged, and certain moments demonstrate this clearly, the natural charm of its characters and ability to appeal to teenagers hasn't faded in the slightest. The premise is still effective, and the theme of how parents just don't understand teenagers is just as relevant today as it was then. For that, the movie's message is still well-elucidated and the thought through qualities compose a topic that can be applied to modern concepts. Furthermore, the movie's inexplicable ability to affect the style and culture of teenagers can be felt, nearly sixty-five years later. The fashion model of a teenaged boy wearing jeans and a sweatshirt was really introduced in this film and has become a hallmark of culture, becoming what most teenagers wear and dress like. 
 Rebels Without a Cause has a concise story that all plays out over the course of essentially one day. While the short time frame does cause a suspension of disbelief to be in order, this allows viewers to be transported into what living the life of a teenager is really like, as well as adhering to the format of a traditional Greek play. The main characters' problems are highlighted and showcases how they truly are substantial, despite what some parents note. Plato must deal with living without any family members, which has caused him to be a nuisance to the law, Judy must deal with a father that doesn't know how to show affection to his daughter, resulting in aggressive abusiveness, and while Jim's problems seem slightly insignificant when compared to Judy and Plato, he must still deal with discrepancies between his parents, who seem to lack the ability to actually take charge and parent. 
 Rebels Without a Cause has a cohesive plot, meaningful characters that captivate the audience's attention, and plenty of drama to create a roller coaster ride. James Dean is fantastic as Jim Stark, and he successfully manages to bring emotion and passion to the role through his consistent usage of method-acting. Although it is quite unfortunate that Dean ultimately passed away before the movie was released, which led to the movie gaining even more popularity initially, he still manages to give a heartrending performance that gets to the heart of teenagers all across the world. While there are plenty of other notable roles, including Natalie Wood's Judy and Sal Mineo's Plato, the true heart and soul of the movie is James Dean. 
 Rebels Without a Cause helped to define a generation of adolescents and has stood against the test of time to remain an instant classic. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an outstanding 96%, which is just as impressive as it sounds, and it quickly becomes apparent that all of the movie's focal points have remained just as meaningful. While some portions have aged slightly poorly, the rest should be enough to please audiences. It's still definitely worth watching.