Stand By Me
In a small woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends -- sensitive Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough-guy Chris (River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman), and scaredy-cat Vern (Jerry O'Connell) -- are in search of a missing teenager's body. Wanting to be heroes in each others' and their hometown's eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery. They sneak smokes, tell tall tales, cuss 'cause it's cool, and band together when the going gets tough. When they encounter the town's knife-wielding hoods who are also after the body, the boys discover a strength they never knew they had. Stand By Me is a rare and special film about friendship and the indelible experiences of growing up. Filled with humor and suspense, it is based on the novella The Body by Stephen King.
Member Reviews
Clasic coming of age movie. - Nikki
An absorbing, touching examination of the loss of innocence that warms the heart. Based from The Body, this film shows the depth of young friendship, the terror of not knowing, and pride in life. Featuring four up and coming great teen stars, who all give excellent performances.The Characters And Actors Who Play Them Are More Important Than The Story - revsdd
More notable for its characters (and the actors who played them) than for its story, "Stand By Me" is a pretty decent piece of movie-making. Taken from a Stephen King short story called "The Body," the movie is a sort of coming of age story that follows four boyhood friends on a camping trip the summer before they enter Junior High. Their goal: to find the body of a classmate who is presumed dead after going into the woods to pick blueberries. The movie is a flashback. It opens with an author (played by Richard Dreyfuss) reading a newspaper account of a friend who had been stabbed to death, and from his reflections on the incident comes this account of one of their adventures. Dreyfuss continues to do voice-over narration throughout the movie.
The story isn't really what most interested me, although it does manage to draw the viewer in with characters that are mostly believable and fairly easy to relate to, all of whom have some issues to deal with, not the least of which is that they all seem to feel stuck in one way or another in this drab little town of Castle Rock, Oregon. What's most interesting though - to me anyway - is the look at some very early work by some very young actors, some of whom became very well known. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Casey Siemaszko, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, John Cusack - they're all in this in the early stages of their acting careers. It's even a fairly early example of Rob Reiner's directing.
Essentially it's an entertaining piece of escapism. It's pretty quick, with a running time of less than an hour and a half, and to be honest, even at that there are a few scenes that came across as unnecessary. Overall, though, I'd have to say that this is a winner.Wonderful Family Classic - Dave4
A beautifully filmed story involving four young boys who go on an adventure in search of a dead body. It has an innocence about it that belies it seriousness. A wonderfully executed film that held my attention from beginning to end. It's almost flawless. I strongly recommend this movie.
Member Reviews
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Clasic coming of age movie. - Nikki
An absorbing, touching examination of the loss of innocence that warms the heart. Based from The Body, this film shows the depth of young friendship, the terror of not knowing, and pride in life. Featuring four up and coming great teen stars, who all give ...The Characters And Actors Who Play Them Are More Important Than The Story - revsdd
More notable for its characters (and the actors who played them) than for its story, "Stand By Me" is a pretty decent piece of movie-making. Taken from a Stephen King short story called "The Body," the movie is a sort of coming of age story that follows four ...Wonderful Family Classic - Dave4
A beautifully filmed story involving four young boys who go on an adventure in search of a dead body. It has an innocence about it that belies it seriousness. A wonderfully executed film that held my attention from beginning to end. It's almost flawless. I ...