The Wanderers (1979)

Such a frustrating disappointment

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Set against the urban jungle of 1963 New York's gangland subculture, this coming of age teenage movie is set around the Italian gang the Wanderers.This story is something like a blend between "The Warriors" and "American Graffiti", though for some reason is not as well known as either of them. My suspicion is because there are no real breakout stars. A few familiar faces, but nobody huge. This likely sent it back into obscurity.What stands out for me is the dynamite soundtrack. The film is funny and has a good plot, but that soundtrack is just perfect and something I would gladly listen to over and over again. I don't know how music rights worked at the time, but today a film like this would probably cost a fortune just on licensing.

One of the best movies, watched it on Youtube then came looking for it and instantly attached to the characters like Richie, Joey and Turkey tho one thing i feel disturbed was Turkey's joining the Baldies and getting himself killed by The Mysterious Ducky Boy gang, nonetheless the movie was entertaining and capture the feels of the era is changing with the 50s ending and 60s is coming and the boys realize they're no longer a teen and can't be street gang forever, Richie must face the life of teen father's, Joey escape from his psycho dad with Perry, overall the movies is classic and yes i'm a true Wanderers fans heck i even own the jacket

I have watched this movie at least 50 times. It is my all time favorite movie. I just mailed my DVD copy (I have VHS also)last week to friends in Santa Barbara. I spoke to them this afternoon and they told me they loved it. My friends wife adores Ken Wahl. When The Wanderers was first released I went to every movie house and Drive-In it was playing at and took a different friend each time. The only person that didn't like this movie was my wife at the time. I even have the soundtrack on 8-track tape. A few songs in the movie were not on the released soundtrack, ie, I Love You by the Volumes. I have also read the book written by Richard Price who appears in the movie as one of the bowling sharks, the one with the mustache. The book is a very good read but does not follow very close to the movie.

I saw this flick when it first came out. I loved it then and love it now. There was a whole bunch of these kinds of 50's – 60's nostalgic movies that were pumped out during the 70's. Some were almost depressing (like, 'The Lords of Flatbush') and others were too over-the-top (like, 'The Warriors,)- but the most fun, had to be this flick. What can I say? Take a spot of 'Grease'; add a splash of 'Wise Guys'; a sprinkle of 'Good Fellas'; and mix it all together with 'Friday Night Lights' and maybe flavor it with a little bit of 'Dazed and Confused'– and there you have it – 'The Wanderers'. I would highly recommend this movie for people who want to kick back, relax and just enjoy a movie about, 'The Times - Yes they are-a-Changing.' This movie's sudden era shift covers a painful transition for some and transcendence of enlightenment for others. The 50's 'greasers' to the 60's hippies transition is a sad reminder that we can never re- live our past, no matter how much we want to. A tasty bit of cinematographic candy...enjoy it...but remember...you may devour it. Or not...