Stand By Me

Film Title: Stand By Me
Year: 1986
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 89 minutes
Film Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, elements of Comedy
Director(s): Rob Reiner
Producer(s): Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans, Andrew Scheinman
Writer(s): Adapted from Stephen King's novella The Body; Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans (screenplay)
Players:
Wil Wheaton as Gordie Lachance
River Pheonix as Chris Chambers
Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp
Jerry O'Connell as Vern Tessio
Keifer Sutherland as Ace Merrill
Richard Dreyfuss as The Writer
and cameo by John Cusack as Denny Lachance
Plot: Four preteen boys set out on an adventurous journey to see a dead body. It's a coming-of-age story of friendship, courage, mourning and the question "What is Goofy?"
Acting: For the most part, the acting was done well. On rare occasions the age of the four boys shows through in their portrayal of true emotion. Credit is due to Rob Reiner for illiciting great performances from the four boys. Breakout performances for Keifer Sutherland, Wil Wheaton, River Pheonix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell (though this was not the first movie appearance for most of them, it was their first great performance).
Cinematography: There are two scenes set at bridges. In the first, the camera stares down the long straight tracks and the bridge acts as the threshhold of the journey which they are about to embark upon. In the second, the boys stop at the edge of a long, tall, bridge over the Royal River. The camera makes the bridge look a mile long as this is an initial test of the boys' courage.
Visual: The movie is set in 1959. Costume and setting is done well. Some of the effects look faked, like the train behind the boys and the drop-off of the swamp water from a few inches to several feet deep. The film's story is pretty simple, though, so there aren't a lot of effects needed.
Audio: Mostly jocular music is incorporated into the movie which counteracts the storyline. Songs like "Rockin' Robin" and "Lollipop" are heard playing on Ace Merill's car radio and the handheld radio that Gordie brings on the trip. The title song "Stand By Me" acts as bookends to the movie and is interspersed other times throughout.
What to watch for: Gordie's encounter with a deer; Top-notch performances by Keifer Sutherland, Wil Wheaton and River Pheonix; Hilarious moments such as the campfire story and conversations, the leech, Chopper, and many others.
What to watch out for: Language; Jerry O'Connell's character Vern can become quite annoying after a while.
When I watched it last: One night prior to review
IMDB User Rating: 8.1 out of 10; #157 on the top 250 movies of all time as voted by users.
Roger Ebert Rating: Roger Ebert has not reviewed this movie on the Sun Times website.
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 8.5 out of 10
- - Reveiwed by JB