Stand By Me Review celebrating 40 years of this film.

 

Stand By Me Review: Celebrating 40 years of this film.

Stand By Me is a childhood favourite, and sadly, we lost Rob Reiner, the director of this great film. This blog is also a tribute to Rob and to how his work inspired so many. So here is my review of Stand By Me. 

Stand by Me is based on Stephen King's novel The Body. The film focuses on four boys named Corey, Chris, Teddy, and Vern, who are childhood friends, and as summer comes to an end, they learn from Vern that there is a dead body by a railroad, and it's the missing boy Ray Bower. The boys then decide to set out and find the body and become heroes for finding Ray Bower's body. Each boy in this film has there personal problems like Gordie is still mourning his older brother Denny's death and he feels like his father doesn't love him like he did with Denny, Chris is from a bad home with abusive father and a brother who is best friends with Ace the local bad boy, Teddy had half his ear burned off by his father is WW2 soldier who suffered from shell shocked, and Vern is the funny clumsy kid who lost a large amount of pennies. 

In the film, the boys go through many adventures to find the body, like escaping a junkyard or being hit by a moving train. Which makes you think, why didn't they take a bus? We also get a lot of emotional scenes, especially when Chris talks about how he confessed to a teacher that he stole the school's milk money. She took it and bought herself a new dress, and Chris felt betrayed because, as Rob Reiner told River Phoenix, "Was there ever a time an adult let you down?"

That scene is very emotional. Chris had a bad reputation and was often seen as a thief, but he tried to do the right thing and return the money. That teacher, though, betrayed him and didn't do the right thing. This scene had me crying, and even my mom cried. 

Now the film's villain Ace, is that typical bully who's just a jerk and treats everyone badly. Many people asked why Gordie didn't ask Ace to return his hat, especially during the gun scene. As Rob Reiner, they likely threw it away after they got the hat back, which was sad because it was Denny's hat after all. Ace was a bully no one should have to deal with, and I remember Family Guy did a parody of Stand By Me, and there was a scene where Peter realizes that Ace will get a gun and come after him, and he says, "That is a hole in this story. You know what takes the body." It's actually because in the book, sadly, Ace and his gang do beat up the boys at the end of the novel, but the film didn't include it, which was good, to be honest. Although in the novel, karma does get to Ace as Gordie visits Castle Rock, he sees that Ace is now an alcoholic, working at a mill and leading a horrible life. 

Now, at the end of the film, they find the body, and they find themselves, and that scene where they see the body is a powerful moment for these boys. The scene where Gordie breaks down into tears is emotional because he feels like his father hates him, and Chris, his best friend, is there for him and tells him his father just doesn't know him. He encourages Gordie to become a writer, and in the film, he does, and he’s very successful. Chris was another brother to Gordie.

Rob Reiner said this scene made him cry, recalling his own relationship with his father. I think we all have that moment in our lives when we think our parents don't love us, but we know that's not true, because most parents love their kids and support them. 

Now, at the end of the film, they are confronted by Ace and his gang, and Ace almost kills Chris, but is stopped by Gordie with a gun. Gordie makes his stand and is willing to kill Ace. Ace backs away but tells them they will get them for this, which, as I mentioned, does happen in the novel. The boys give an anonymous call to the police, and they take the body. The boys return home on Labour Day weekend, and in the end, they all go their separate ways. It's sad, but it is true that sometimes we lose touch with our friends and we don't hear from them. But hey, we all still have those friends in our lives who are always part of it and always will be. Gordie writes what happened to his pals, like Vern got married and had four kids, Teddy tried to join the army but failed and took part-time jobs around Castle Rock, and Chris went on to become a lawyer, but the opening of the film reveals that he was stabbed to death while trying to stop a fight.

The film ends with Gordie going camping with his two sons. 

The film's cast is amazing, including Will Wheaton, the late River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss (whom I met once), John Cusack, and more. This is a great coming-of-age story, and you have to watch this film once in your life. Stand By Me was an important film of my childhood, and it was also the first R-rated film I watched. I love this film, I give it a 10 out of 10. Stephen King himself said this was his favourite adaptation of his work, and he was even brought to tears by how well Rob Reiner adapted it. 

It's sad to know that River Phoenix died at 23 in 1993, but his work lives on, just as Rob Reiner's work. Rob and River are reunited, and Rob was like a father to River and all the boys in the film. 

In memory of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

They will be missed forever, and I once saw Rob Reiner at a restaurant in California, and I wish I had gotten a chance to tell him I loved Stand By Me and The Princess Bride. His work inspired so many, and it will forever. 

This blog is also dedicated to River Phoenix.