#140RVW
EXACTLY as good as you remember it being. Probably more affecting if like me, you were close to the characters’ age when you first saw it…
What’s more:
A mostly faithful adaptation of Stephen King’s novella “The Body”, Stand By Me was a sleeper hit when it came out in 1986. They were fortunate to even get the movie made, as it had financing trouble. No one expected it to be a success. What were people not seeing in this picture? A coming of age movie based on a story by the most popular author alive? How could this NOT have been a hit?
Well, hindsight and all that. The fact is that Rob Reiner hadn’t yet become a bankable director and while all of these child actors were full of promise, many careers don’t pan out. In truth, the casting of Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell was inspired and is almost entirely the reason the film became an instant classic.
The movie is set in 1959, but it would be engaging set at just about any time. The nostalgia is great and the setting certainly makes the story work very well, but the core issues of friendship, growing up, finding your place, grief, loss – these are what make this film so engaging and keep it fresh to people of any age or background.
Enough cannot be said about the dialogue. King is a great writer in large part because he creates believable dialogue for real people, and screenwriters Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans wisely import entire exchanges from the book even as they add their own touches in the same spirit. The banter between the boys on this trip will be instantly familiar to most people, enough so that it seems as if the writers were listening in on your conversations as you wandered around town with your friends.
Occasionally the exchanges can seem a bit adult, the insights from characters Chris Chambers and Gordie Lachance rather sophisticated. But the acting by River Phoenix & Wil Wheaton, respectively, sells it. Some kids are wise beyond their years, and some actors possess talents surpassing their experience. Feldman and O’Connell (in his first role) are really very good, as well, but it is no slander to say that they are bit players next to Phoenix & Wheaton.
Interesting choice to move the story (and filming) from Castle Rock, Maine to Oregon. The scenery is great and the photography is very good, if a bit too soft for me. It’s so intentionally made to seem nostalgic and timeless that it’s a little over-the-top, but certainly achieves the look they were going for.
Reiner really did a marvelous job; this is a tremendous film.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Fail
| Main Cast | Wil Wheaton Gordie Lachance, River Phoenix Chris Chambers, Corey Feldman Teddy Duchamp, Jerry O’Connell Vern Tessio |
| Rating | R |
| Release Date | Fri 08 Aug 1986 UTC |
| Director | Rob Reiner |
| Genres | Adventure, Drama |
| Plot | After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 89 |
| Tagline | For some, it’s the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life. But for everyone, it’s the time that memories are made of. |
| Writers | Stephen King (novel), Raynold Gideon (screenplay) … |
| Year | 1986 |