I grew up in the area of the Bronx where The Wanderers was filmed. That was very nostalgic. That was about it. The "Italian Gang" were portrayed as lascivious dopes with even their backstory looking very cliche and insensitive. The Italians are portrayed as buffoons and not sympathetic characters of whom many in real life in that neighborhood grew up in poverty and with tough family issues (not the lascivious father kind, either). Just throwing in a pregnancy doesn't make it real. The "Baldies" are equally comical. Gang fights in the film were silly and for some reason, when Hollywood depicts the Bronx, it always results in TV's Happy Days. There's one good scene where the protagonists find themselves in a rival gang's turf; but even the foggy atmosphere couldn't make up for the nerdy looking gang members. I have to say some of the smartest kids in my neighborhood were Italian. But the dumb, whop is a stereotype that emasculates the men and vulgarizes the women of a vibrant culture. The film does not take a lesson from its own classroom scene where the teacher tries to deflate racial stereotypes. He fails and so does this film. The African-American students are treated less callously, and they are more likeable for that. The film is not worth the time. This is not West Side Story.
Review of The Wanderers
