Stand By Me

"Do you guys wanna go see a dead body?"

When I started writing about movies I loved as a kid, I knew I'd have to tackle Stand By Me sooner or later. I first saw this movie when I was roughly the same age as the boys in the movie and for me, that was the perfect time to see it. Even though the film takes place in the 50's, the themes of growing up are truly timeless. It's been a favorite ever since. Very few films have left as indelible a mark as this one. 

The film is told largely in flashback focusing on a group of four friends, Chris Chambers (played by River Phoenix), Gordie Lachance (played by Wil Wheaton), Teddy Duchamp (played by Corey Feldman), and Vern Tessio (played by Jerry O'Connell). One day while they're hanging out in their treehouse, Vern asks them if they want to go see a dead body. Turns out Vern overheard his older brother Billy (played by Casey Siemaskzo) talking to one of his friends, Charlie Hogan (played by Gary Riley), about finding the body of a missing local boy. The two decide not to do anything about it, so Vern and his friends decide to go find it and claim the glory and reward for themselves. 

Of course, Billy and Charlie crack in record time, confessing to gang leader Ace Merrill (played by Kiefer Sutherland) about the dead body. Wanting the reward money for themselves, they set off to retrieve the body themselves. Ace and his gang are a bunch of thugs and bullies who participate in such pastimes as Mailbox Baseball, which is exactly what it sounds like. A confrontation between Ace's group and the four boys is inevitable.

The bulk of the film focuses on the journey of the four boys as they progress towards their destination, which proves to be both more physical and emotionally arduous than they anticipated. Teddy is taunted by a junkyard owner over his mentally ill father that Teddy idolizes despite the fact that his father held his ear to a hot stove. Gordie works through his grief and survivor's guilt over the death of his brother Denny (played in flashbacks by John Cusack). Chris is struggling with being seen only as a thug like his brother and never being given a chance. And Vern, well he's largely the comic relief but he does have a moment when he has to face his fears and outrun an oncoming train across a train trestle. The power of these scenes are how the other friends pick each other up and support each other. This is especially clear in the relationship between Chris and Gordie, how they support each other push each other to do better. 

Narrating the film is adult Gordie, played by Richard Dreyfuss. He provides a great tone to the film, bringing just the right weight to the events and injects some humorous asides as well. There is also an extended cutaway to a story aspiring writer Gordie tells his friends around the campfire that somehow works, largely because it's largely Gordie narrating the action. 

The film is punctuated with a bunch of golden oldies, with artists such as Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Chordettes and of course Ben E King's title track. It's a perfect mix of songs and the soundtrack was in fact the first CD I ever bought.

The one big injustice with this film is the fact that it's rated R. The only thing that could possibly be objectionable is the language, which isn't even that frequent and such an argument is ridiculous anyway because I can confirm first hand when they're alone, that's exactly how thirteen year old boys talk. This film is perfect viewing for boys of a similar age and I think it would be a deep and meaningful experience for them as it was for me, despite what the MPAA thinks. It should've been PG-13, end of story. 

Stand By Me is a masterfully told film with a lot heart and truth by director Rob Reiner and screenwriters Bruce Evans and Raynold Gideon. It's based on a novella, "The Body," written by Stephen King and appeared in the book "Different Seasons," which also included novellas that became the basis for The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil. Stand By Me was the first of the group to be adapted and for me, 28 years after it's initial release, still reigns as the best. The film is fantastic beginning to end and is highly, highly recommended.