A DVD review from The Movie Snob:

Rebel Without a Cause (C-). This legendary film left me cold, probably because I have always lacked the imagination to empathize with alienated suburban teenagers a la Catcher in the Rye. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo play troubled youths whose "bad" home lives apparently drive them to seek out dangerous and criminal hijinks. For example, Dean's father (played by Jim Backus of Gilligan's Island fame) is a weak man dominated by his shrewish wife. No wonder his son is so angry and confused! I did like the scene of the school field trip to the planetarium, where the science-guy narrator multiplies these kids' angst by demonstrating at length how tiny and insignificant they are, astronomically speaking. Anyway, Mystery Science Theater 3000 sent up a movie with the very same themes called I Accuse My Parents (now available on DVD). I say check it out instead.