Stand By Me, the 1986 coming-of-age film, directed by Rob Reiner, and based on the Stephen King short story The Body, is one of my so called 'Perfect Films.' A perfect film to me has all of the elements of a good story: comedy, adventure, horror, suspense, and romance. Yes, this movie does not have romance, but in a way it does: in the sense of being in love with your youth during an adventurous summer.
The film Stand By Me is a timeless one. It's the kind of film that when you see it for the first time, or the 50th time, it gives you that nostalgic feeling of familiarity, that safe feeling of pre-pubescent adventure and care-free outlook.
The actors are great, perfectly cast, and deliver fine performances across the board. Arguably it is an all-star cast: Richard Dreyfuss (narrator), River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, Will Wheaton, Kiefer Sutherland, and John Cusack to name a few. They all respectively show great range, and are all perfectly cast.
The film takes place in Oregon, during Labor Day weekend of 1959. Like I said before, it is based on Stephen King's The Body, which is in his short story collections Different Seasons (which also has Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil so it's awesome). The adult Gordie Lachance (Dreyfuss) narrates the story via flashback while writing a novel. The flashback tells the story about him and his friends embarking on a quest to find the body of a local, missing boy near the town of Castle Rock. Speaking of Castle Rock, the antagonist here is Sutherland's younger Ace Merrill.
While the story unfolds, it is revealed that all of the boys are dealing with their own personal issues, all while helping each other in their own way. Gordie (Wheaton) is still grieving and guilt-ridden over the death of his older brother, Teddy (Feldman) is an abused child desperately in denial of his father's malice, Chris (Phoenix) comes from a broken home, and Vern (O'Connell) is shy and timid, while trying to make his way.
We learn more and more about each individual as they trek on through the Oregon wilderness in order to find the body, but what they are really searching for are themselves. We start to care more about the characters, and one-by-one we begin to relate to them. The 1950's contemporary rock and roll soundtrack really plays into the story too.
The film and story age very well, which can be very tough to do when using a period piece that takes place from another decade. They don't need to rely on special effects and technology, and the dialogue from King's work is carefully chose and respective to that time. The set decorations (see the general store), and costumes, are perfectly chosen.
Stand By Me is brilliantly woven using comedy (watch for the pie-eating contest scene), horror (the boys' imaginations in the forest), drama, suspense, and adventure. It's reportedly one of the few film adaptations of his works that Stephen King likes, and I think they got it right too.
The film Stand By Me is a timeless one. It's the kind of film that when you see it for the first time, or the 50th time, it gives you that nostalgic feeling of familiarity, that safe feeling of pre-pubescent adventure and care-free outlook.
The actors are great, perfectly cast, and deliver fine performances across the board. Arguably it is an all-star cast: Richard Dreyfuss (narrator), River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, Will Wheaton, Kiefer Sutherland, and John Cusack to name a few. They all respectively show great range, and are all perfectly cast.
The film takes place in Oregon, during Labor Day weekend of 1959. Like I said before, it is based on Stephen King's The Body, which is in his short story collections Different Seasons (which also has Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil so it's awesome). The adult Gordie Lachance (Dreyfuss) narrates the story via flashback while writing a novel. The flashback tells the story about him and his friends embarking on a quest to find the body of a local, missing boy near the town of Castle Rock. Speaking of Castle Rock, the antagonist here is Sutherland's younger Ace Merrill.
While the story unfolds, it is revealed that all of the boys are dealing with their own personal issues, all while helping each other in their own way. Gordie (Wheaton) is still grieving and guilt-ridden over the death of his older brother, Teddy (Feldman) is an abused child desperately in denial of his father's malice, Chris (Phoenix) comes from a broken home, and Vern (O'Connell) is shy and timid, while trying to make his way.
We learn more and more about each individual as they trek on through the Oregon wilderness in order to find the body, but what they are really searching for are themselves. We start to care more about the characters, and one-by-one we begin to relate to them. The 1950's contemporary rock and roll soundtrack really plays into the story too.
The film and story age very well, which can be very tough to do when using a period piece that takes place from another decade. They don't need to rely on special effects and technology, and the dialogue from King's work is carefully chose and respective to that time. The set decorations (see the general store), and costumes, are perfectly chosen.
Stand By Me is brilliantly woven using comedy (watch for the pie-eating contest scene), horror (the boys' imaginations in the forest), drama, suspense, and adventure. It's reportedly one of the few film adaptations of his works that Stephen King likes, and I think they got it right too.