Stand By Me (1986)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Stand By Me (1986) – R. Reiner

I have never watched this film before.  Why has it taken me so long? Perhaps seeing a movie with kids in the lead never seemed like my thing (as a grown up).  Or I worried that Rob Reiner or Stephen King might combine to make middle of the road fare? Maybe I wasn’t ready for another film looking back at the 1950s for nostalgia? Whatever the reason, I probably shouldn’t have waited so long.  As narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, this is a wistful but realistic look at four 12-year-old boys who head up the railroad tracks for a chance to see a dead body (over the course of 24 hours or so).  The dead body is really just the MacGuffin when what we really get is some robust interaction between boys before puberty sets in.  Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell manage to define certain types while still being natural and demonstrating camaraderie.  There’s cussing and gross outs and run ins with a tough older gang (led by Kiefer Sutherland).  Perhaps there are lessons to be learned (for the boys, if not us), particularly about friendship.  I strained to remember my 12 year old self but got mostly flashbulb memories and rarely full interactions. Still, that’s probably the starting place for a screenplay such as this.  I probably couldn’t do better (for the ‘70s, of course). Or perhaps, my weird film wouldn’t be as popular…