Saving the best for last: Rachel’s fav, ‘Stand By Me’ (5/5)

“Stand By Me”

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman
Directed by: Rob Reiner. Based on the short story “The Body” by Stephen King.
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hour, 29 minutes

We’ve all had them, some perhaps more than others — the times in your life when you realize that everything’s about to change.

I’ve got one of those coming up myself. Come the end of September, I’ll be living minutes from the Atlantic in suburban, southeastern North Carolina — a bit of an about-face from the rolling hills and beautiful lakes of upstate New York that I’ve lived among my whole life.

So for my final review, I wanted to leave you with my favorite movie, “Stand By Me,” in the hopes of winning it over a few new fans, or rekindling an old love (save the best for last, right?).

Made in 1986 (what I like to think of as a twist of fate as I was born that same year), “Stand By Me” has the reputation of a cult classic that, despite the incredible amount of positive reviews, has not quite broken into the mainstream.

For those unaware, take a seat — the immensely powerful and dramatic “Stand By Me” is based on the short story “The Body” written by the Master of Horror Stephen King — but in an extremely uncharacteristic style (think more “Shawshank Redemption” than “Pet Sematary”).

This is one of the only times that I would choose a film adaptation over the written version, but even so, King’s generally morbid and terrifying methods of storytelling are nigh nonexistent in “The Body.”
Instead he relies on his sharp memory and keen perception of psychology to tell the tale of four 12-year-old boys on a journey to see a dead body.

OK, I’ll admit, it sounds gruesome. But this unsettling plot is actually the gateway to a beautiful and dramatic reflection on youth, friendship and the first painful awareness of mortality and the knowledge that everything changes.

And while King’s version naturally leans toward the more cynical side of the spectrum, director Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” will leave you with an immense sense of melancholy tinged with a nearly imperceptible feeling of promise.

The film starts with a very understated title scene followed by a shot of a reflective Gordie Lachance (played here in the adult/narrator role by Richard Dreyfuss, who brings a wonderful balance of whimsy and rumination to his mostly voice-over role). We then see the reason for Gordie’s musing — a newspaper article headlined “Attorney Christopher Chambers fatally stabbed in restaurant.”

The audience is then transported back to 1959 as Gordie (here played by Wil Wheaton) tells of the first time he saw a dead body at the age of 12 along with his friends Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) and Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell).

A local kid, Ray Browers, had disappeared several days before. Vern overheard his older brother discussing the accidental finding of the body near the railroad tracks with another gang member while they had been joyriding with a stolen car. The teens decide to keep their mouths shut to avoid getting in trouble for stealing the car.

With dreams of becoming heroes, the four younger boys start on a trek along the rail to find and hopefully recover the body.

While the movie is full of 12-year-old-boy antics (breaking into the town junkyard and a memorably disgusting story from young Gordie involving how Davie Hogan gets revenge for his cruel nickname), it mostly centers around the more intense, dramatic moments. Each of the boys are coming to terms with who they are and what their place is in the world in different, and often painful, ways.

Gordie’s older brother has recently passed away and he is now largely ignored by his parents. Chris’ father is abusive and his brother a no-good gang member, and he fears his family will keep him from living any sort of decent life.

Even if you haven’t experienced exactly what any of the characters have, King and Reiner make it easy to be able to connect and relate with them regardless. Who hasn’t experienced being bullied, albeit perhaps not with one so vicious as Ace Merrill (a young and decidedly tough Keifer Sutherland).

And who hasn’t felt worthless (Chris) or in need of extreme danger to make them feel alive (Teddy)?
Simply put, “Stand By Me” is a beautiful movie from beginning to end. From the music to the cinematography to the script and the absolutely incredible job done by the young cast, the film was made with deliberate care and expertise, and it shows.

River Phoenix’s untimely death in 1993 makes his role as the troubled but loyal Chris Chambers that much more poignant. His performance is a large part of what makes “Stand By Me” so incredible.

And while this is my favorite movie and I started watching it at a young age, keep in mind that it is a very emotional movie with adult themes that may disturb young viewers (it is rated R). There’s also an immense amount of vulgarity from the kids and the older gang.

As the running time is relatively short at an hour and a half, I would highly recommend taking a look at the featurette “Walking the Tracks: The Summer of ‘Stand By Me’” in the special features. It includes interviews with Stephen King, Rob Reiner and most of the main cast  in 2002 (it’s interesting to see how much the young boys have grown, especially Jerry O’Connell).

In the featurette, King describes the story as being that of “kids who are discovering the world.”
“Stand By Me” shows that not all journeys have to be physical (though mine decidedly is) — often, the mental journeys are the ones that make the biggest difference.

5 of 5 stars