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Stand By Me
Rob Reiner, 1986

5 Stars

Good films are magical things; an ability to make us laugh, or to make us cry, to make us remember the good ol’ days, or to really make us think about life itself are all hallmarks of a good film. It takes a truly great picture, however, to do all of the above, and indeed much more besides.

Having had a pretty shitty couple of weeks at work, I decided last night that I really needed a classic; something that despite making would weep like a small baby, would inevitably cheer me up no end. And so it was that I came to be wandering the tracks oft travelled with Rob Reiner’s classic Stand By Me.

Based on Stephen King’s The Body, (one of the Castle Rock stories, of which I have all but finished Needful Things, the final book in the series, and as such am now seeing characters from the earlier tales, such as this, in much different lights, knowing what horrific ends they are soon to come to…) Stand by Me is a real tour-de-force of a coming of age tale. The story is simple enough; four kids, all of whom are of the classic King disfunctionality, go looking for the missing body of one of their classmates, along the way dodging trains, getting swamped by leaches, almost shooting Keifer Sutherland and, in a beautifully un-nauseating way, discovering the true meaning of friendship.

What makes this such a classic however, is the true conviction of its young cast. It is a rare occasion that four child actors are thrown together, and not only can they act superbly, but they also meld so very well on screen that you really believe they are the very bestest friends in the world. Pre Star Trek Wil Wheaton is both touching and utterly believable as young Gordie, whilst Corey Feldman gives his ever-glistening loudmouth another spectacular outing and Jerry O’Connell (the one that no-one remembers… Went on to do Sliders…) is a joy to watch as neurotic “fat kid” Vern.

Of course, it’s the late River Phoenix who really steals the screen, however, as simply the most amazing best friend a kid could ever want. His portrayal as stalwart young Chris is utterly moving, and there are so many times throughout the movie when this old sap is moved to tears by his conviction. The final revelation is a real mover. Sigh.

Moving, nostalgic, and utterly beautiful, Stand By Me is a rare masterpiece of filmmaking.

Also, there’s that awesome song in it…