Stand By Me (1986) Dir: Rob Reiner
- Ridley Coote
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
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Rob Reiner's 1986 adventure, based on the Stephen King novella, is a classic coming-of-age story, which I watched many times during my teen yeard, and always absolutely loved. In fact, it used to be one of my favourite films. However, it's been so long since I've watched it, that I felt like it was more than due a rewatch.
What makes this film so timeless, is its brilliant portrayal of boys growing up. The friendships they form, the affectionate and cheeky teasing, the constant sense of wanting to explore and discover. But, even better, the film does an excellent job of not only showing boys being vulnerable, and with each other, but showing those boys being supportive of one another.
The story is very basic in its composition, but full of profoundly emotive scenes, which provide audiences with some truly beautiful and impactful moments. It's the classic framework of leaving on a journey, experiencing change, and coming back very differently. Its an exploration of identity and the ending of one's youth, disguised as a group of kid's adventuring into the wilderness.
Of the four child actors, the two standouts were the duo of Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix. Phoenix especially had so much talent, even at this age, and would surely have gone on to do great things, if not for his untimely death at 23. Wheaton and Phoenix had really solid chemistry in this film, and definitely brought the best out of one another.
Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell were very much more background characters in this film, but both have their moments here and there. Feldman was always so naturally funny in these 80's roles - he just had a wit that worked perfectly for his characters. The film also features Kiefer Sutherland, who gave another decent performance in an antagonist role, while a younger John Cusack also makes a brief appearance.
Overall, I think this is such a perfect film for teenagers and adolescents to watch; it encourages its audience to accept and embrace change, to do new things, even if you're scared. It highlights male vulnerability in a way that a lot of films even today fail to do. I genuinely adore this film - rewatching it felt like bumping into a childhood friend, and discovering they're just the way they used to be.
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