The worst thing, much worse than Casper Vain Thing's portrayal of James Dean, is that this was Robert Mitchum's last movie before he died of lung cancer the same year. It's immoral that they managed to fool the poor man who was obviously very sick already to appear in this piece of trash, just to be able to cash in on his great name. This is a TV movie? Not even worthy of TV, it's straight to video or an amateur home movie.Imagine it! They managed to simultaneously violate the legacy of two Hollywood legends, Mitchum and Dean! They have no shame. That horrible grinding screeching sound ringing in your ears and setting your teeth on edge is not a teacher with long nail extensions dragging her hands down a schoolroom blackboard, it's the sound of the bottom of the barrel being well and truly scraped.

I bought this movie because I love James Dean and think Casper Van Dien is cool too. When I watched this movie, I was disappointed that it was more of a cheesy fictional story that depicted Dean as a real jerk. Yes some of those things happened but I felt that Casper wasn't James Dean, that he was some misc. character. I hated Casper's acting. What was up with the eyebrows?! James Dean never acted like that. This movie is truely a disgrace to the James Dean legacy. If you guys really want to watch an awesomely acted James Dean recreation movie, watch James Dean starring James Franco. Its the best one I've seen next to the real thing.

I saw this on TV after I heard Robert Mitchum was in it. He looks very sick and frail and it was sad to see him like that. His grandaughter was just AWFUL as Dean's girlfriend. Van Dien was Ok I guess, this is a very amateur production. Why it was released on DVD beats me! Stay away!

This is probably interesting for people who know absolutely nothing about James Dean's life, those who may even be shocked by the sad ending. However, it has nothing to offer in the way of a script, and many scenes are embarrassingly implausible.Worst of all is the way the movie deals with James Dean's rumoured homosexuality. The only reference is when Sal Mineo asks Dean out on a date, and Dean replies with obvious disgust at the idea of dating a man. So there you go. Obviously James Dean was heterosexual through and through. The rest of his life is treated with just as much subtlety.