Stand by Me (1986)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Stephen King (novel)
Raynold Gideon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

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.

Plot:

After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find a body of a missing boy

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Writer | Dead Body | Brother | Teenager

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Wil Wheaton	...	Gordie Lachance
River Phoenix	...	Chris Chambers
Corey Feldman	...	Teddy Duchamp
Jerry O'Connell	...	Vern Tessio
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Ace Merrill
Casey Siemaszko	...	Billy Tessio
Gary Riley	...	Charlie Hogan
Bradley Gregg	...	Eyeball Chambers
Jason Oliver	...	Vince Desjardins
Marshall Bell	...	Mr. Lachance
Frances Lee McCain	...	Mrs. Lachance
Bruce Kirby	...	Mr. Quidacioluo
William Bronder	...	Milo Pressman
Scott Beach	...	Mayor Grundy
Richard Dreyfuss	...	The Writer

Also Known As:

The Body (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:15 | France:U | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #28071) | West Germany:6 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Brownsville, Oregon, USA

Company:

Act III

Trivia:

The actress pictured on the cover of a vintage movie magazine is Elizabeth McGovern, who was at the time engaged to director Rob Reiner.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the beginning, in the wide shot of Gordon Lachance's car, the man behind the wheel is an obvious stunt driver. So is the man driving Ace's car during the game of chicken in wide shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Writer: [voiceover] I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being. It happened in the summer of 1959-a long time ago, but only if you measure in terms of years. I was living in a small town in Oregon called Castle Rock. There were only twelve hundred and eighty-one people. But to me, it was the whole world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Community: Home Economics (#1.8)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Let the Good Times Roll

Yes, I agree, it belongs in the top 100!

Emotional and poignant Stephen King adaptation - one of the most respectful and memorable films of its kind - about four pre-teen boys who set off on their town to view the body of a boy killed in the country, many miles away.

Allegorical story with an incredibly poised cast of youths (Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and the late, great River Phoenix) who perfectly fit their characters and deliver remarkable performances.

"Stand By Me" is alternately heartbreaking and hilarious, even sort of poetic at times. I can't watch this and not be affected by it - if you are like me, it may make you regret your own lost youth, as well. Although the settings are mostly rural, it does a decent job of taking the viewer back to a simpler, more innocent time.

Kiefer Sutherland is effective as the town bully - King fans will know that his character turns up as an adult in another King novel, "Needful Things".

Well-selected rock songs of the period, and Jack Nitzsche's music score, work as well.

The film doesn't meander at all, and for me, every scene worked. "Stand By Me" is simply a good, solid little drama.

One major difference is that this film places King's fictional town of Castle Rock in Oregon instead of Maine.

10/10