Matt as Bob

[Nittanylizard]

Maybe this is just me, but from the description in the book, I have always thought that Matt Dillon would have made a great Bob. I think Leif Garret did a fine acting job, but I found that the character came off (to me) as an annoying spoiled rich kid, rather than with the handsome, reckless, bad-boy appeal that Ponyboy eludes to in the book.

It's more like, in the movie, Bob was a character that you were immediately supposed to dislike, rather than one who appealed to you and, even though you hated what he did, there was something sad about his death. In the book, I could kind of get what Cherry saw in him. In the movie, there wasn't much of anything to separate his character from the other Socs who had jumped Ponyboy at the beginning, with the exception that we knew Pony and Johnny had been hanging out with his girlfriend (again, in my opinion).

Especially if the part of Bob had been bigger, I could really see Matt in that role. I mean, he fits the description to a T. He wasn't one of my favorites when I was a teenager, but as an adult I have a much better appreciation of his acting range and abilities. I think he could have done a wonderful job making the viewer like and hate Bob at the same time.

[BlindedxxFalcon]

nittanylizard said:

It's more like, in the movie, Bob was a character that you were immediately supposed to dislike, rather than one who appealed to you and, even though you hated what he did, there was something sad about his death.

Well, yeah, it was that Johnny killed him. Haha, just kidding. I get what you were saying. Matt would have made a good Bob.

[zevie]

Looks wise, Matt and Leif could have switched parts, lol. Matt did have Dally's attitude down, and comes across as quite the rough guy. I think his personality fits that role well. I picture Bob a little more refined, still a rough teen and a bit of a jerk, but rich and well-trained nonetheless. Matt *now* I could see doing that role easily; it's interesting to imagine if he could do that as a seventeen-year-old. He'd have had to do something about that accent, lol.