A Disappointing Continuation

The acting in this movie is really good.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Stephen King makes his characters use so many expletives that they aren't real anymore. I was raised in the 1970s with the toughest kinds of kids in the backwater part of Pensacola, Florida called Ferry Pass. My friends were like the ones in The Outsiders and Mud. 'Gol darn you!' was mostly what I heard, with the occasional 'Dang!' and sometimes, under extreme duress, 'Dammit!' So, a possibly great story in STAND BY ME was demoted to just a good story because of the inaccuracy of the language and perversity. All in all, don't miss this one. River Phoenix was a young powerhouse. In fact, all of the boys were.

After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy. I kept hearing for years how great 'Stand By Me' is and after just finishing it i found it to be quite pathetic. All 4 of the boys were very annoying and i didn't like any of the perfomances, the pacing was too damn slow and Sutherland's part was just awful, this is a film that somehow got it's way on being inside the Top 250 Movies of All Time and i'm just wondering how it even managed to do that and something likes Goonies did not? It's just sad. (0/10)

It's hard to put in to words how much I honestly despise this film. It wasn't funny, it wasn't touching, it didn't show any "coming of age" at all, it didn't show much bonding....... and don't even get me started on that ending!

Remember the days of your youth, when Summer was just one long vacation - where you and your buddies would take off and let the day unfold as it presents itself - no schedules, no meetings and the only clock was the rising and setting of the sun?Such, nostalgic, feelings and remembrances is at the heart of the 1986 Rob Reiner film, STAND BY ME, a "coming of age" tale of boys on the cusp of leaving boyhood behind.Based on a Stephen King novella, STAND BY ME follows the adventures of Gordie LaChance and his pals Vern, Teddy and Chris as they set off to find the body of a young man who has been missing - and presumed dead.But it is not the destination that is at the heart of this story, it is the journey - and what a journey, filled with heart, it is. We join in with these 4 boys as the walk towards the unknown - both physically and (more importantly) metaphorically, growing and developing in front of our eyes.Credit for this film has to start with Director Rob Reiner - mainly known before this film as "Meathead" on the classic TV Series ALL IN THE FAMILY. This was Reiner's 5th film as a Director and, I believe, announced his "arrival" as a signature Director. Look at the run Reiner had. In order, he directed THIS IS SPINAL TAP, THE SURE THING, STAND BY ME, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, MISERY and A FEW GOOD MEN. I would also include THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT and GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI in this list, but they come after the misfire NORTH. But, 9 out of 10 good films is quite the track record.What struck me in this showing of the film (seen on the big screen for the first time by me since 1986) is the contrast between intimacy and enormity. When the boys are on their trek, Reiner shoots a good deal of these scenes from a distance - showing how small these boys are in comparison to the world around them. But, when the scene is an intimate, dialogue, character-driven scene, he tightens his shots right into the faces of the 4 leads, creating an intimacy that draws us into these characters.The other credit has to go to whomever cast this film - for the 4 unknown boys that were cast in the leads were well cast, indeed.Start with Wil Wheaton as Gordie. Gordie has spent his whole life in the shadow of his over-achieving "All American" brother, trying to be noticed for who - and what - he is, an author, not an athlete. Wheaton brings the right combination of determination, intelligence and vulnerability to Gordie, giving us a protagonist we can root for. Jerry O'Connell was funnier than I remembered as the "fat kid", Vern, who just wants to play by the rules, but always goes along with his friends, despite his better judgement. Corey Feldman has never been better than he is here as Teddy Duchamp - a young boy with a troubled home life - and a troubled life - that is trying to control, and understand, the rage inside of him.But it is the work of the late River Phoenix as Chris Chambers, the "leader" of this group that really shines. He is the glue that keeps this foursome together, strong but showing a vulnerability and a "realistic" view of what it is to be a misunderstood youth - the hurt that comes with that and the walls that one puts up to combat that. Phoenix commands the screen in every scene that he is in and when the scene is just Phoenix and Wheaton, you are drawn into a real friendship. I was surprised, at this viewing, at how serious this film is - and the topics that this film addresses - but those moments are wisely balanced by scenes of action/adventure (like the train tressel scene), comedy (like the the "lard-ass" pie eating scene) and "other" moments (the leaches!).This is one of those films that is getting better with time - it is aging well - and, rightfully, fits in the category of "Modern Classic".Letter Grade: A