One of the greatest movies about growing up in the history of cinema.
Stand by Me remains one of the perennially great films about not only what it means to be young, but also what it means to grow up, to be a friend, to be a brother, and to be a boy. Based on Steven King’s short story “The Body”, Stand by Me is a film about children that is absolutely not meant for them to view. In many respects, it is the deftly captured sense of nostalgia and the sparkling, understated dialogue that only someone who had already grown up could understand that makes this film such a classic.
Gordie Lachance (A young Wil Wheaton) is a young boy growing up in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon. His brother, and his father’s obvious favourite child, died only four months previously and now he spends his time distracting himself with his group of three dysfunctional friends, but most of all Chris Chambers (River Pheonix). One day, their friend Vern disturbs their regular routine with the now-famous line:
“Do you guys wanna go see a dead body?”
Deciding to make themselves famous, the four young boys decide to go on a journey that will change them all forever, though not in ways they realize at the time. They face the trials and tribulations of the wilderness, ranging from coyotes to rampaging trains, as well as the menacing presence of the cobra gang, led by Ace Merrill (Keifer Sutherland.)
Wil Wheaton before the infamy of being Wesley Crusher.
The amazing thing about Stand by Me is the way in which it just *gets* what it’s really like to be an outcast twelve year old. That is, it doesn’t focus on the outcast part. It focuses on the little rules, the little games, the little phrases that dominate the friendship and rules of these four boys. Most films about children this age wouldn’t dare depict them as they are in this film- smoking, swearing little bastards that they are- and yet it’s far truer than any of those films in how absurd it is to be a twelve year old boy. It strikes a perfect middle ground between Nanny McPhee and South Park.
It is wholeheartedly helped by a superb cast. Whilst Corey Feldmen and Jerry O’Connell are brilliant, the stunning combination of Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix just drives every scene and makes everything the two boys say have a special resonance- even if it’s not obvious what the meaning may be. Kiefer Sutherland is equally unforgettable as the local gang leader of the Cobras, adding a special menace to the biggest danger a young boy could encounter growing up- the mean older bully. Wil Wheaton even attributed the films success to the cast, saying:
Rob Reiner found four young boys who basically were the characters we played. I was awkward and nerdy and shy and uncomfortable in my own skin and really, really sensitive, and River was cool and really smart and passionate and even at that age kind of like a father figure to some of us, Jerry was one of the funniest people I had ever seen in my life, either before or since, and Corey was unbelievably angry and in an incredible amount of pain and had an absolutely terrible relationship with his parents.
Everything each boy says is just totally believable and pushes the film well beyond the already excellent writing. A special mention must go to the story of ‘Lard-ass’ and his stunning vengeance at the pie-eating contest. A story that might have bombed in a lesser film becomes the absolute apex, both disgusting and funny and hilarious to the audience- just as it would have been to them, when they were twelve too. At parts of the film, especially towards the end, you can almost feel yourself regressing back to the the age of these boys, feeling almost like one of their gang and, by the end, it feels like you’re enjoying their company rather than watching them in a film.
Some have accused the film of being unsubtle, or even a little nihilistic- and I suppose it could be seen as a little forced in how each of the children have their own little problem at home, or at school, or even with each other. In some ways, this is a fair point- but also forgivable. Part of the magic of Stand by Me is about seeing yourself at that age, and remembering all the little problems (and some of the big ones) that you just forget as you grow older. It would be the rare man indeed who didn’t at least see something of themselves in those four young, damaged but determined boys.
Yet for all the interest on the surface, the film is all about the small, subtle moments. Someone has described it as ‘a film about nothing’. This is true- as a whole, very little actually goes on. And yet, the four boys arrive back from their journey truly changed, if not always for the better. The devil is in the detail, in the little story beats and conversations where they discuss all the little meaningful things that matter at that age- whilst remaining mad, crude pre-teenagers.
For me, this will always be the finest Stephen King adaptation. For all the brilliance of The Shining or The Shawshank Redemption, this movie just chimes in a way those two don’t. It becomes easy to empathize and be brought along on this journey because the characters are just so recognizable. Stand by Me may very well be a film about nothing, but equally a film about everything. It’s about growing up, it’s about loss, love, brotherhood, death, smoking, proper health and safety on railway tracks and everything else in between. At the core of it, this is a film about children that should only be viewed when you’ve grown up- and a genuine classic that anyone who ever felt lonely as a child should see.
9/10
TheNicheCinema 