Stand By Me (1986)
Everyone owes themselves at least one viewing of Stand By Me. From the very beginning, you're hooked. The story begins when four best friends - Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O'Connell) - hear that the body of a missing child has been found but that the discovery has not yet been reported to the police. The boys decide to go on a hike to pinpoint its location and become town heroes in the process. Along their journey, they learn more about themselves and each other than they ever have in all their years as friends.
This movie is like a military sniper. It takes its time, lines up the shot and when it hits, it's with a perfect shot right at your core. Stand By Me perfectly captures the feeling of being 12-years-old during summer vacation. We're all one of the characters in this story and we've all been on an adventure like theirs. The details may be different but the emotional journey is the same. As an outsider watching, you see what's going on. These kids are all excited about going out and doing something extraordinary. Think about what it would be like at 12 years old to find a dead body. It sounds morbid or scary seeing it written down but think back. For a pre-teen, it would've been awesome because you haven't yet fully grasp what a dead body really means. You're at that point where you're on the edge of adulthood and where you're headed is impossible to pinpoint exactly. That moment when something inside you clicks and suddenly, you begin truly understanding the world, and what it all means is perfectly captured here.
Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell deliver extraordinary performances. It's as if we're not looking at actors reading a script. They sound and look like just a regular group of buddies. They joke, rough each other up a bit, talk philosophical, debate idiotic topics, and come up with creative insults for each other. This brings us to the one non-criticism: the language. I suspect many parents would shy away from showing "Stand By Me" to their pre-teens because of it. Actually, this is precisely why they would like it so much. I might not have truly understood what I was saying when I was talking about girls, sex, and all sorts of filthy things when I was about to enter my teens but that didn't stop me from talking the same way they did. Admit it, you did too. Director Rob Reiner, writers Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon never try to sugarcoat things or make this story needlessly whimsical. They know Stand By Me doesn't need it.
Seeing Stand By Me is a journey onto itself. A journey you never forget. Part nostalgia, part eye-opening experience, it’s a precious gem that demands to be seen. Not just once. These characters, this story will mean different things to you depending on your age, how many times you’ve seen it before and who you are watching it with. I’d love to see it again and discuss it around a campfire while roasting marshmallows. Who else had friends like Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern? What was their equivalent of the search for a dead body? Which myths did it reinforce or create? Who were the bullies that hurt them the most? What memories of their parents will they be unable to forget despite their best efforts? What horrible incident do you now look back upon fondly because you managed to get out relatively Scott-free?
It’s never too late to discover Stand by Me, but the sooner you see it for the first time, the sooner you’ll get to start ritualistically re-watching it. (On DVD, June 23, 2015)