Stand by Me

I am 14 years old, and I absolutely love this movie. But don't let my age fool you. I'm not just going to sit here and talk about how hott River Pheonix was.

This movie is well rounded in my perspective. Everyone can relate to at least one of the boys in it at one time in their life. The actors are matched perfectly with who their character portrays.Corey Feldman's character Teddy is the boy who's sensitive about his dad, but tries to hide it, Jerry O' Connell's character Vern is the chubby, wussy kid, but still part of the club, Wil Wheaton's character Gordie is the sweet, intelligent friend who tells stories to the other boys and is ignored by his parents, and River Phoenix's character Chris is the boy in the neighborhood that's been labeled a bad kid and feels he'll never get out of their town, the peacemaker, and Gordie's best friend.

This movie just sucks you in as soon as you start watching it. It's not overly mushy and sad, but it's not so tough that only a sixteen year old boy could stand it. You feel for each character, no matter how mean or nice they are. My personal favorite is Chris Chambers, which i know this will probably drive you guys nuts that almost every other person does too, but River Phoenix is just so touching. The campfire scene is great, the milk money seen is great, and one of my favorites is the train scene. You can definitely see the terror in their faces. It's funny that they all act so tough, except maybe Vern, although he tries, and they still like talking about goofy and dancing and singing along to Lollipop. You also just want to be there with them. Feel that kind of friendship that so many people long for. It's such a feel good movie, but not in the sense of a 10 year old's feel good movie. It makes you feel complete when you watch it. It's not jam packed with action sequences or it doesn't have fluffy pink bunnies hopping around in it either. It's just one of a kind. Definitely worth my time and yours.

The newest DVD of Stand By Me (Special Edition) has Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand By Me where all the main actors,except River, and Rob Reiner are interviewed. They also talk about working with River Phoenix. There's also the Stand By Me music video with River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, and obviously Ben E. King. Not to mention an extra CD with some awesome oldie's songs like Everyday, Lollipop, Stand By Me, and Mr. Lee.

Without a doubt this movie is probably the best coming of age flick around, it has terrific acting and an incredibly touching plot that keeps you going throughout the whole film. I think the reason I love this film so much is because, everyone in some way could relate to it. When you're a pre-teen and have a close group of friends and face something so intense together, there's that special bond that no matter how much you loose touch with each other, one day, you just think of them and that one incident.

Stand by Me is about 4 pre-teen boys whose summer is about to end and they are about to start junior high. They've obviously grown up together and are nervous of the world they are about to face, where they are no longer kids, but just about to become adults. When their friend, Vern, tells them about a kid their age that is missing that he found out by listening in on his brother where the kid's body is, the boys think it would be so cool to find the body and become the local town heroes. They have one problem though, there are these big tough guys who want to find the body first, it's a matter of who will reach it first. But of course, it's the bonding of the boys that really gets you into the film.

These are some of the best characters I have seen on film, we start with Gordy. Gordy is an intelligent writer who lost his big brother, his idol, in a car crash recently and can't get any love or respect from his father and it's obvious that he gets it from his friends. That's what keeps him going. Chris is the leader of the gang and Gordy's best friend, he comes from a very bad family and is dubbed the bad seed everywhere, he's the kid who you knew in school and just knew he'd turn out bad, but there's a deeper side to him. The speech that River Phoenix turned out for Chris was so beautifully dilvered as a child who's been disappointed so many times by an adult.

Teddy is another bad kid sort of speak, he has a bad home life where his father is crazy and nearly killed him a few times. He has a quick temper, but you can tell that his friends keep him down to Earth and help him through the worst times. Then there's Vern, the funny fat kid who is pretty much scarred of everything, and in some ways is the 4th wheel. Still, Vern you can tell is a great friend and the other's appreciate him despite how he can hold them back.

The acting is just phenomenal. Now, the directing, Rob Reiner is without a doubt one of the best directors of all time, he took these young boys and pushed them to their limits, he was so smart about it as well. He said in an interview that he had to get pre-teen boys who were close to the personality of the character in the film, so it would come natural to the pre-teen actors, and you could tell that this film was his baby, he put so much thought and love into this film. That's what makes this film so special, nothing could ever compete with a coming of age film like Stand By Me.

10/10

If you grew up in the world before WiFi, a higher fidelity world depending on your circumstances as a child, there's a good chance that a lot of your growing up was done outside, with a group of pals, mates, friends or chums - who all sought to share what they knew, and discover together what they did not.

There's no coming of age so to speak, as we continually discover as we get older, but whatever it is that we do become, we generally do it without the bonds and support that were so crucial during our formative days and quite often end up aimlessly drifting, nostalgic for the past and the shared experience of growing up, with those we would have entrusted our lives, our souls, our hearts and our minds to - albeit with the occasional minor squabble thrown in for good measure.

If I'm ringing some bells then this film is definitely for you.

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.

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.