Stand by Me (1986)

In ancient Greece people watched the great tragedies in the amphi-theatres, and eyewitnesses tell us that audiences of 20'000 sat crying when the main character on the stage became aware of his fatal guilt and had to face death. They called it catharsis, best translated by 'cleaning the souls'. Well, measured by the tremendous effect on all of us writing reviews on the film, STAND BY ME has the power and qualities of ancient tragedy. This jewel of a film touches and shakes the best sides in us. I have watched it over and over again, and even if I watch it several times a week I still sit and laugh and cry, and it leaves me sad and confused and grateful, feelings that can last for hours and sometimes days.

So what is the mystery behind this masterpiece?

First of all it teaches us that good filmmaking isn't about the dollars spent on the production, but about the people who make it.

And it's about a unique and humble (I hope you understand what I mean) director: Rob Reiner doesn't try to show how good he is, leering at the Oscar-jury:the story is told without any visual effects, the pace is slow and the cinematography is unspectacular, but he succeeds in inspiring his young actors to perform honest feelings and letting the story develop by its own terms. An example is the milkmoney-scene. It is told that Reiner wasn't satisfied with the performance of River Phoenix. They tried again and again. Finally, he told River to remember a situation of his own life where a grownup had let him down. Guess if he succeeded with it! River Phoenix started crying and he couldn't stop crying a long time after the shot was taken. That's why this film is pure gold: it doesn't show professional acting, it shows young boys who open their hearts in front of a camera. They can do it, because they can relate to similar experiences and because the message is important and universal. We all can relate to similar situations. These scenes make me remember events from my own youth that I had inhibited for a long time, because I didn't like to remember them. That's the pain!

But it's not only the director and the actors who should earn all the credits. I read the novel after watching the film, and since that time Stephen King is one of the great contemporary writers in my book. I just don't understand why he doesn't write more of THE BODY kind. To me this book is pure poetry (including all those four-letter-words that Maltin e. a. don't like, because they don't understand why they are necessary)! But the most amazing thing is: the script doesn't only catch the quintessence of the novel, it's partly even better! This perfect balance between humor and seriousness! It doesn't manipulate the audience. In the book grownup Gordon sits in his car when he had read about his friend's death. "I drove out of town, parked, and cried for him. Cried for damn near half an hour, I guess." In the film Gordon doesn't cry. He doesn't need to. Everyone in the audience feels like crying, because they understand the tragedy! There are only 13 pages of dialogue and narration, and there really is not one line too much. It's so good, I almost know the whole of it by heart. Take the ending: In the book, the famous writer Gordon Lachance tells about how he met Ace Merrill again, some twenty years after the Ray Brower event: grown fat and the only one alive of his old friends and enemies. How much better is the film's ending! This important line abou

Fmovies: "It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of our lives, like busboys in a restaurant."

Stand By Me is Rob Reiner's love letter to friendship and nostalgic memories. It's ironic that Reiner's film looks at the past with such high regards because we can do the same with his filmography. His best films were all made in the 80's (and we can squeeze Misery and A Few Good Men into that list as well although they came out in 1990 and 1992 respectively), and despite not having directed many great films over the past few decades we can still look back at his early films and appreciate his classics. Stand By Me reminds us all of our early childhood and the friendships we made. It doesn't matter what decade we grew up in, we all cherish special memories of adventures we shared with our friends and how they helped shape us. That is what is so universal and appealing about Reiner's film; even though we may never have grown up in a small town or had similar outdoor adventures it still recalls us back to a time where we were discovering new things about the world and standing up for our friends when they were in trouble or running with them when we got caught playing in our neighbor's yards. Stand By Me focuses on these memories and it's not just about the adventure in itself but the bond these friends shared together. It's probably the go to movie when we are comparing or referencing other coming of age films, and in my opinion one of the best ever made considering how much I appreciate the genre. I'm sure the film itself was a life changing experience for many who grew up watching it and dreaming of having similar adventures with their friends.

Based on Stephen King's short story, "The Body," the screenplay for the film was adapted by Raynold Gideon and Bruce Evans. It takes place in 1959 and centers on four 12 year old friends from Castelrock, Oregon who overhear a conversation about the location of the body of a dead boy who had been missing for several days. The news about the disappearance of this boy had spread all over town, so these kids decide to embark on an adventure through the woods and bring back the missing body so they can be received as heroes. Since the journey would take more than a full day, they plan to tell their parents that they are staying at each other's home. Gordie (Will Wheaton) had recently lost his older brother (played by John Cusack in the flashback scenes) a few months prior to this in a car accident so he knew his mourning parents wouldn't even mind him being gone for a few days. His best friend, Chris (River Phoenix), came from a troublesome family and despite knowing he'd get into trouble if they'd discover his lie he didn't think it would be any different if he stayed with his drunk father. Teddy (Corey Feldman) still has the scars from the abuse he suffered from his mentally unstable father, and currently lives with his mother. Vern (Jerry O'Connell), the clown of the group who isn't taken very seriously is the one who came up with the idea of looking for the body, but he also is the first to back down when it comes to it. The four finally decide to go ahead with their plan and begin their adventure, which will eventually shape who they are. The story is narrated by the grown up version of Gordie (played by Richard Dreyfuss) somewhere around 1985.

The strong performances in this film are one of the reasons why it continues to work today. River Phoenix was such a natural and is so charisma

Hands down this is my favorite movie. (With the Sandlot in second place). My mom got this movie for me when i was about 12. I saw it the first time and realized that i had friends like that. The movie is definitely one every teenage kid should see. I think it is more of a movie for boys but girls can get out of it the same as the boys can. But the movie overall is great because its just about a four friends who have no experience with the "real world". They find out about a dead body and go in search to find it. At first they just do it to be famous and get a reward. But the quest of the boys throughout the movie reveal things that even themselves didn't know about. After it all, the boys find out about reality, and how it isn't glamorous. They realize that the body could of been them and they respect that. In my opinion the point of the movie was not to have you think of when you were 12 and your good friends but to think of what you have now, and what you do with it. In the end Gordie tells us what happens to each and how each kind of go their separate ways. (Such as the last scene of the movie). This is definitely a movie to not only rent but buy. I tip my hat to Reiner.

Stand by Me fmovies. Stephen King adaptations can be great. In my opinion the less horror pictures, and The Shining, are the best. Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and this one. Stand by Me is a great film, you can say it is a drama with some thriller elements.

Four boys hear the location of the dead body of a boy from their small town. The boys go on a trip to look for the body, about 30 miles away. There are some little problems on the way, including another gang with its leader Kiefer Sutherland. One of the boys thinks about his late brother because of the recent events, played by John Cusack. It seems to be a simple story but it is told perfect.

The performances the boys give, one of them is the late River Phoenix, are all extraordinary. I liked the way their friendship was shown. Just a great movie, see this. 9/10.

Perhaps this is a personal bias because I had friends like this when I was 12, but having said that this is one of the best films I have ever seen and it hits every chord perfectly.

There were four of us that were friends and we were known as the Stand By Me Crew. Mike, Gary, Andy and myself were inseparable. And as this film prophesizes correctly, the group has since split up and now I am only good friends with one of them. This movie makes you remember what it was like to have friends when you were 12 and it makes you glad that they were there when they were.

The story involves these four kids going on a weekend hike to find a dead kid that apparently got hit by a train. Now if that is all the movie was about, it would probably be pretty boring. But this film explores the fears and anxieties of what it was like to be 12 again. Twelve year olds deal with a plethora of issues and it is not often that adults listen to what kids have to say or see what they deal with. But this film is honest about it's assessment of how they feel.

The four boys are played brilliantly by Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell

Coosh from Jerry Maguire ), Corey Feldman and River Phoenix. The story moves along and hits a nerve because of the life that these four actors brings to their characters. There is a real sense of comrarderie between the four of them. But ultimately it is Phoenix that brings the most life to his character and I would say that the milk money scene with him and Gordie (Wheaton) is one of the more touching and poignant scenes ever filmed.

What Stand By Me does is brings you back to a time when friendship was more pure and innocent and meant more. You can't help but get caught up in the nostalgia. Perhaps this film means more to me for personal reasons ( as I've already stated ) but it is a wonderful film and it should be enjoyed by everyone.

The last line of the movie is so true. Do we really ever have friends as good as the ones when we were twelve? I doubt it.

As a lover of Stephen King's writing style and Rob Reiner's directing techniques, this movie leaves me speechless every time. It is an almost forgotten film about a time and a youth nearly forgotten, as well. And I will say, as a writer, the novella that this film was based upon, "The Body" has and always will be the inspiration for my style of writing.

First of all, I enjoy the title that was chosen for the film. "Stand By Me" fits what the characters in the story are facing. I think that all who have seen this film will agree that the problems are all things that we can relate to. All of us know someone like these characters. Most of us have met the boy down the road who had a brother with a bad name and a father with an alcohol problem, automatically being labeled as a "bad kid." And the boy with the military father, abusive and a little whacko. The fat kid, picked on and ridiculed for his weight.

To me, Gordy represents all of us. I found myself seeing a little of me in Gordy as I watched the film. I don't know if any one else shares this, but it was true. Gordy was not very strong, at first, and was not sure what he wanted, except to be with his friends. Still coping with the loss of his brother and the fact that his father was disrespectful to him, Gordy still stood up for what he believed in. And, in the end he surprised the characters and the viewers by standing up to the bullies that had plagued them all.

This film is certainly one of my top favorites. In fact, it lies in my top three, probably at #2 or #3. I feel that it is a film that everyone should see at some point in their life due to the fact it changes your look at youth and their trials. Few films are able to do that and I think that this one was an inspiration for others that will do the same in the future.