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Stand By Me (1986)

Average rating

(75%)

Starring:	River Phoenix \| Corey Feldman \| Wil Wheaton \| Jerry O'Connell \| Richard Dreyfuss \| Marshall Bell \| John Cusack \| Bradley Gregg \| Gary Riley \| Casey Siemaszko \| Kiefer Sutherland \| Jason Oliver
Director:	Rob Reiner
Studio:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time:	85 mins
Genres:	Drama
Languages:	English
Dubbed:	French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles:	Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Released:	December 04, 2000

Based on Stephen King's novella THE BODY, director Rob Reiner's STAND BY ME is the disarmingly tender and subtly sublime story of four kids on the precipice of early adulthood who embark upon a quest. There's Gordie (Wil Wheaton), the intelligent, creative one with the obviously bright future. His best buddy, Chris (River Phoenix), hardens his image in order to hide the pain from the physical abuse he endures at home, all the while harboring the hope of escaping that image. Rounding out the foursome are Vern (Jerry O'Connell), the pudgy tagalong, and Teddy (Corey Feldman), a loyal and funny but troubled kid with a death wish.
When the four boys hear about a dead body 20 miles down the railroad tracks from their small Oregon town, they clandestinely set upon the unwieldly journey to lay eyes on this rare find. Amid numerous misadventures, Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy savor what may be their last chance to revel in the simple life of children; around the corner is a future that could tear them apart, not to mention a tough teen gang who desires local fame by finding the body first. Enhanced by excellent performances and an engaging plot, STAND BY ME ranks among the best of the myriad coming-of-age films to dot the 1980s cinematic landscape.

Screenshots

Rating of 5 stars out of 5

Rob Reiner made his name as a director with his debut feature, the satirical This Is Spinal Tap, and proved his versatility two years later with this coming-of-age drama. It's a smart, sensitive, 1950s-set tale taken from the unlikely source of Stephen King's story The Body. The rich dialogue and the intelligent performances, from the likes of Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix, are a joy to behold as four school friends set out to find the corpse of a missing boy.

Rating of 1 stars out of 5
Halliwell's Film Guide

Less macabre than its source would suggest, the film is mostly concerned with the friendships and tensions within the group; nostalgia for 50s childhood is nicely conveyed.

Highest rated reviews

32 out of 35 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Heartwarming and melancholy.

A Customer from Newcastle, England, 14th September, 2003

Wow this is a lovely film. From the fantastic soundtrack, through to the gorgeous visuals, and the exceptional performances from such young leads, it's massively endearing. The plot doesn't really matter - this film is mainly concerned with charting the loss of youth and innocence as four friends go on a daytrip with the intention of catching sight of a dead body. Their friendship is real in all the right ways - teasing and joking, telling gross-out tales, shyly revealing their adolescent hopes for the future - they perfectly capture the fear and enthusiasm of youth. It's also very moving, not least because one of the film's more tragic characters is played by River Phoenix, who himself died at a young age.

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14 out of 15 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars

micbloomfield#1 from OXFORD, 29th January, 2004

Stand By Me is a wonderful coming of age picture based on Stephen King's semi-autobiographical work, The Body. The film explores the relationships between Gordie (Will Wheaton), his best friend, Chris (River Phoenix), and their chums Teddy and Vern, on a walking road-trip to find the body of missing local boy.

The film primarily a story of friendship, dealing with four individuals struggling to define themselves as adolescents during the twilight of boyhood. This voyage of discovery occurs against the backdrop of a tight-knit American rural community, in which none of the characters truely feel at ease.

The performances are all superb, especially from the late River Phoenix. The soundtrack adds to the sense of road-movie by playing like a 50s radio station and the cinematography is generally quite good.

Whilst the film does become somewhat over-indulgent in parts, its nostalgic feel is excellently used to make all of us want to hark back to the care-free days of late childhood.

A film that never tires, and one that succesfully attempts to discuss childhood friendships in a rather honest way. This bittersweet movie is essential viewing for all.

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Most recent reviews

Rated 5.0 stars
Must See!!

McKelinho from , 10th March, 2010

I already own this film, just rented it through here to rate it and write a review. From a male point of view this film was so nostalgic for its boyish antics and andventures. It brings you back to the days where the summers were hot and summer holidays seemed to last forever. Its a very similar film to 'Now and Then' (1995), which i believe was largely influenced by this film. Its pretty much the female version of Stand by Me. Filled with faces of the big 80's films (The Goonies, Gremlins, Police Academy Lost Boys, The Burbs), River Phoenix steals the show here and the fact that you cant watch it without thinking what a tragic life he had only makes your hair stand on end even more. Coming from an 80's kid this film is a must see!!

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