So much average

From my favorite movies..

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I really enjoyed this documentary for numerous reasons. For one thing, I love "Stand By Me", so I was interested in hearing Stephen King's thoughts on his story and the experiences he had as a kid. I came across it on YouTube where the whole video is up (divided into four parts), in case you don't have the Special Edition DVD. It was so fascinating, especially if you watch it after viewing the film.You get to hear what it was like making the movie from casting to the direction of it and it really gets me tear-eyed and nostalgic just watching the beginning of it. Towards the end of it, I liked how they had a memorial section on River Phoenix where everyone who was interviewed discussed his talent and why he'll be missed, while saying positive things about him. If you like the movie "Stand By Me" and want to learn more about the "behind the scenes" perspective on it, it is amazing!

Walking the Tracks: The Making of 'Stand By Me' (2002) **** (out of 4)Excellent look at the making of the classic STAND BY ME greatly benefits from having the majority of the main crew members. Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Will Wheaton, Richard Dreyfuss, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Kiefer Sutherland are all featured and each one brings so many great stories that you really wish this could have gone on much longer. King starts off talking about how much this story meant to him and he concluded by saying it was the first time someone got his work right. Reiner talks about his connection to the story and how he went about the casting process. Then we hear from Dreyfuss who talks about what he took from the story and what he wanted to do with the narration. The four actors talk about what Reiner expected from them and how they all were pretty much just like their characters with the exception of Sutherland who really did have to get into the part. Fans of the movie are certainly going to love hearing all of these stories as it's very clear that the movie meant a lot to everyone involved. We hear some great stories about the rehearsal process, favorite scenes for the actors and a hilarious story dealing with Reiner finally losing his cool and screaming at the kids to make them cry. The big question as to why Wheaton didn't get the cap back from Sutherland is discussed and the director gives a reasonable answer for that. The only negative thing that can be said is that the featurette should have been much longer. Obviously, the one person missing is River Phoenix but there's a very nice tribute to him.

I also found this on my Special Edition DVD of Stand By Me. I found it very interesting and it was wonderful to see some of the actors now older. What I particularly enjoyed was director Rob Reiner talking about how he picked the actors who were most close to their roles. The whole documentary is blighted by the tragic death of River Phoenix in 1993. The footage slows to black and white and the actors talk about how he was going to be something. A tear will be shed when Corey Feldman measures a tiny distance with his thumb and forefinger and claims he was "This close to saving him" Of course Phoenix buckled to the pressure of using hard drugs in the early 90s and it is for this fantastic movie that he is remembered.

When I bought the Stand By Me Collector's Edition, this documentary was included on the DVD. It offers a lot of information, which is very interesting to Stand By Me fans. Rob Reiner tells us about the auditions, about the hard work they had shooting the train scene etcetera. It's a joy to hear him talk about his movie. Stephen King tells us how he felt when he saw his book on screen and they briefly discuss the differences between book and movie. (By the way King was very pleased with the movie, which is quite rare in his case, he almost never is pleased with an adaptation of his books) Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell tell some stories about the shooting too and especially Wil tells us about working with River Phoenix. The documentary is told from a close-up POV, which makes it very intimate, but it's a pity there is no "behind-the-scenes" material on it, for example, where you could see the four boys just having fun behind the set.But overall this is a great documentary which will please everyone who liked (maybe even just a bit) Stand By Me.