"A Few Good Men" and "When Harry Met Sally..." may present good arguments for the best Rob Reiner film, but I still find myself wandering back to "Stand By Me". Despite its brief length (only an hour and 27 minutes), this is probably one of the most endearing coming-of-age films ever made, and it makes the 1950's seem like fun while still acknowledging the cultural limitations of the time. Set in late summer 1959 in a sleepy town in Oregon, an adult named Gordie tells in flashback the story of when he was 12 years old and first saw a dead body. As the level-headed, sensitive member of his gang, Gordie's pals are tough-guy Chris (as the leader), army-obsessed Teddy (the wild one), and chubby Vern (the picked-on guy). They spend a day-and-a-half traveling through the Oregon woods looking for the body of a local boy their age named Ray Brower who has recently disappeared. They are readily expecting to find his body after being hit by a train, and for discovering his body, they are also expecting generous rewards; replete with cash, TV appearances, and medals.
One of the most noble things Reiner did with this film is NOT tarting it up for kids. It is a story for adults about kids, and it appropriately reflects back on how an adult would remember his childhood, rather than how we feel about our adolescence as we experience it. There are no "aww, how cute" jokes abound, yet these kids still engage in typical teenager talk about TV shows, comic books and cartoons and it doesn't ever seem trite. These characters are typical 12 year-olds who like to spit, swear & smoke cigarettes like the older guys do. Not surprisingly, many years later people are still enjoying the sensitive performance of River Phoenix, whose skills as an actor far exceed his age. Although he's playing the tough guy in the group, his gentler moments always seem genuine. It's fair to assume that the Gordie character - an aspiring writer & storyteller, is somewhat based on the author, Stephen King. There are deeper moments in the film when the guys examine their own family life, and they are unpleasant for them all in some way - Chris' father is an abusive alcoholic, Teddy's father an insane war veteran, and Gordie is still mourning the sudden death of his older brother. In particular, Gordie's memories of his brother tell him saddening truths about his father. The soundtrack, a combination of 50's doo-wop & rock, mixes both rarities and popular hits to pleasant effect (this wouldn't of happened if the film were made 10 years later, it would have been some kind of American oldies collection).
As the adult Gordie narrating the story in flashback, Richard Dreyfuss gives a solemn voice-over performance. Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland and a briefly-seen John Cusack also never miss with their performances. A great summation Reiner chose to include in the film is Gordie explaining what happens to everyone in the gang and how his memory led him back to the summer of 1959. Despite the horrible abundance of crap films produced in the 80's, "Stand By Me" still shines, and because it plainly documents the late 1950's so well, it looks as if it may never date.
One of the most noble things Reiner did with this film is NOT tarting it up for kids. It is a story for adults about kids, and it appropriately reflects back on how an adult would remember his childhood, rather than how we feel about our adolescence as we experience it. There are no "aww, how cute" jokes abound, yet these kids still engage in typical teenager talk about TV shows, comic books and cartoons and it doesn't ever seem trite. These characters are typical 12 year-olds who like to spit, swear & smoke cigarettes like the older guys do. Not surprisingly, many years later people are still enjoying the sensitive performance of River Phoenix, whose skills as an actor far exceed his age. Although he's playing the tough guy in the group, his gentler moments always seem genuine. It's fair to assume that the Gordie character - an aspiring writer & storyteller, is somewhat based on the author, Stephen King. There are deeper moments in the film when the guys examine their own family life, and they are unpleasant for them all in some way - Chris' father is an abusive alcoholic, Teddy's father an insane war veteran, and Gordie is still mourning the sudden death of his older brother. In particular, Gordie's memories of his brother tell him saddening truths about his father. The soundtrack, a combination of 50's doo-wop & rock, mixes both rarities and popular hits to pleasant effect (this wouldn't of happened if the film were made 10 years later, it would have been some kind of American oldies collection).
As the adult Gordie narrating the story in flashback, Richard Dreyfuss gives a solemn voice-over performance. Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland and a briefly-seen John Cusack also never miss with their performances. A great summation Reiner chose to include in the film is Gordie explaining what happens to everyone in the gang and how his memory led him back to the summer of 1959. Despite the horrible abundance of crap films produced in the 80's, "Stand By Me" still shines, and because it plainly documents the late 1950's so well, it looks as if it may never date.