40 Years Anniversary Movie Review Of Stand By Me

I still remember the summer of 1988. I had just turned 11 years after a birthday party where my parents rented several VHS films for my party. I remember i thought some girls from my school class would show up, because i invited a couple of them. Only 2 of them showed up while the rest was just guys only. It was alright anyway, we had a good day and lots of laughter. The day after the birthday party, me, Robert and Henrik we took our bicycles to the lake Bjursjön in my home city Uddevalla. Bjursjön was the lake that people wanted to hang out at, swimming, jumping from the bridge, they had a barbecue spot you could use as well. We would lie in the grass reading comic books, talk about VHS movies and i would listen to my Sony Walkman cassette player. This was a good time in my childhood and im grateful growing up in the 80´s. When we returned to school after summer break was over, our teacher Arne had already planned a movie day during the autumn of 1988. He had personally picked the film Stand By Me, that he brought from his personal video collection to show his students. It was this day i saw this film for the very first time. Now, i had seen Corey Feldman in several films by this time, especially Gremlins, Friday The 13th Part 4 - The Final Chapter, The Goonies and of course The Lost Boys, all films on VHS. I actually owned a physical copy of Friday The 13th Part 4, even if i wasn´t old enough to watch this film ( thanks to a VHS sales shop who didn´t check ID cards ). At the time i did not know this film was based on a novel by Stephen King called The Body. I did recognize the name Rob Reiner on the VHS cover, prehaps because i had seen The Princess Bride at that time on VHS with a legendary performance by actor Cary Elwes as Westley. Anyway, the class did enjoy the film Stand By Me and our teacher wanted us to talk about the film after, with every school student in class. We discussed the message of the film, and what made an impact especially on each one of us. The biggest reason i looked back at this memory is because this year Stand By Me turned 40 years old. I have not seen this film since 2018, when it was playing on TV one night at a hotel room, in London with my sister Isabelle. I decided to watch it again by picking up a physical copy. Does this film still entertain the audience in all ages, or have Stand By Me lost some of it´s charm over the years?

It´s the summer of 1959 in Castlerock, Oregon and four 12-year-old - Gordie ( Whil Wheaton ), Chris ( River Phoenix ), Teddy ( Corey Feldman ) and Vern ( Jerry O´Connell ) are always hanging out together. Vern have heard about the location of the body of a missing boy who have been missing for several days,  the whole boy gang set off on a journey to see the body. On this journey they are about to learn about themselves, deal with difficult situations and especially how important it is to respect each other as friends.

There are some movies that can make you remember your childhood, no matter what year you grew up. Stand By Me really capture the spirit of how it is growing up as a child, all the challenges we face, and how we create memories for life. Even if this film takes place during the late 1950´s, i could almost feel myself back into the 80´s again watching these boys exploring life experiences together. The friendship how important it was, the lessons we learn from making mistakes. I did some stupid things myself in the 80´s at the local junkyard, would i change it for anything? No, it was a part of my childhood memories and i experienced some good moments from that time period. As we follow these young boys we get to find out about each individual, that they all have gone through some rough moments in their lives. The acting performances from all the young actors Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix and Jerry O´Connell, each of them deliver a realistic and a powerful portrait of how it is becoming a young man. All the struggles each of us carry within ourselves, accepting that life isn´t always easy. Why this film is so effective is thanks to director Rob Reiner´s very clear story telling, how each of us have to face our deepest fear. No matter if you have been bullied, struggled with abuse in your childhood, having real friends will help you get through a lot of difficult times in your life. We may follow these young boys on their journey to watch a dead body, but there is so much more to the story of Stand By Me. The small town atmospehre, the set design capturing the late 50´s and the matching costume design as well. I have to mention Jaws actor Richard Dreyfuss as the story teller, really give this film a deeper meaning. You also have actor Kiefer Sutherland here as the bully gang leader Ace Merrill, who is great in his role. Of course you have the famous vomit pie scene, which is an iconic 80´s scene in this film. Stand By Me does not only feel like a classic, it really captures the essance of our childhood where i think a lot of us can relate to. A film that will live on through many generations ahead of us, thanks to brilliant director Rob Reiner´s vision of telling intriguing stories. A must have in your physical, or digital film collection.

Rating: DDDD