Review of Stand by Me (1986) by Charles P — 09 Mar 2014

What a gem this is! I loved this movie very much! I saw it with my best friends and it was fantastic! This movie is a coming-of-age story about a writer named Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton - young Gordie) looking back at his childhood memories when a close friend from back named Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) dies recently. The story looks back at how Gordy & Chris were going to have one big journey to find a dead body with their friends Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) and Vern Tessio (Jerry O'Connell). On the way, we see how they bond and the perilous journey to find the dead body.

A lot of funny and memorable lines in this movie. All the characters are really fun to watch and it gets deeper into drama with All of them. We learn more and more about them and how their lives are and actually care for them.

There is just so much to enjoy in this movie that it just had my full attention through the whole thing. The story is much more than just 4 boys setting off to find a dead body. The performances by all of the boys were great. I especially liked River Phoenix's performance. River Phoenix was great in here because there was so much emotion in his character. You have the tough looking on the outside but emotional on the inside with his character. He pulled off his character perfect. Wil Wheaton as Gordie was great as well. He showed range with Gordie. Jerry O'Connell as Vern was just funny to watch. Just the fat kid who is innocent and relatable. Lastly, Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp. I really wanted to get more from this character because this one was the funniest and craziest character there was. Teddy was one that I really wanted a bit more from his backstory. Corey Feldman was the most noticeable actor for me because I have seen other things that he has been in (Goonies, Gremlins, etc.) and I haven't seen him that much nowadays. It's a bit of a shame because he does have some talent and it really does show with this role.

What really shocked me was that this was based off of a Stephen King work. Now, I am not the biggest fan of Stephen King but this wasn't a horror movie. I just found that real surprising.

I would highly recommend this movie! It is one of those rare films that are so enjoyable and everything works. This film is one of my personal favorites of all time, if not my favorite. I truly mean these 5 stars I gave it. It is a true classic.