Film: Stand By Me
Director: Rob Reiner
Country: USA
Released: August 1986
Runtime: 98 minutes
Genre: Adventure
Studio: Act III / Columbia
Influenced: John Singleton, Richard Linklater, Céline Sciamma, Joe Cornish, Taika Waititi
Of all the wonderful 80s movies starring kids and made (primarily) for kids, Stand By Me sits on top of the pile. On one level, it's a simple nostalgic story about growing up, finding the bond of friendship and losing innocence, but it also has moments of real wisdom and weirdness, characteristic of Stephen King's writing. Based on King's novella The Body, which was part of a collection of stories titled Different Seasons, the film is a heartfelt exploration of the bittersweet nature of coming of age, a story that resonated with director Rob Reiner on a personal level when he first read the script. When Reiner showed King the film at an early private screening, King apparently welled up with tears and had to leave the room, such was the emotional power of seeing his autobiographical work played out on screen. King said that Stand By Me was the "best film ever made out of anything I've written".
The film is set in the small town of Castle Rock, Oregon, during the 1950s and follows the journey of four friends: Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) and Vern Tessio (Jerry O'Connell). When they hear about the location of the body of a missing boy named Ray Brower, they embark on a two-day trek to find it. The boys' adventure is not just a physical journey but a symbolic one, representing their transition from childhood to adolescence. Jack Nitzsche's score and the great soundtrack of 1950s and 60s classics, from the likes of Buddy Holly and Ben E. King, help to conjure up the spirit of the times. Such was the success of the movie that the title song Stand by Me re-entered the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1986, while also being reissued in the UK, where it topped the Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks in February 1987.
Gordie, who is also the older narrator voiced by Richard Dreyfuss, is one of the four friends we're introduced to at the start of the film, each with their own family and personal issues. The boys decide to search for Brower's body after overhearing older boys discussing its location, and set out on their journey, facing challenges along the way, including a confrontation with leeches in a swamp. During a memorable campfire sequence, the boys share their fears, dreams and personal stories – including the iconic pie-eating scene featuring Lardass Hogan (Andy Lindberg) – during which the boys deepen their bond of friendship and Gordie discovers his storytelling powers (the sort of meta moment that may have prompted Stephen King to get emotional). The boys also encounter a group of older bullies led by Ace Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland), who threaten them and try to take their food, and then finally discover Brower's body, prompting them to reflect on life and death.
One thing the boys discover is that – without wishing to sound too cheesy – life is about the journey not the destination, and the adventure they experience changes them forever, especially Gordie and Chris. In the final scene, Gordie learns about Chris' tragic fate after the events of the film. Stand by Me deviated from typical coming-of-age films of the time by embracing a more realistic and emotional tone, and was praised for the strong performances of its young cast, especially River Phoenix. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, for the work of Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans, but it didn't pick up any major awards – instead, it's become a beloved classic that has seen its reputation grow over the years. Few, if any, films explore the universal experiences of youth and the journey into adulthood as well as Stand By Me.
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