Review: Stand By Me (1986)

People in the Movie:  Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Keifer Sutherland

Director:  Rob Reiner

Pigeonhole:  Drama / Coming of Age

The Basics: Set in 1959 and based on the novella “The Body” by Stephen King, the movie follows 4 friends on a journey to see the dead body of local boy from their town who was accidentally struck by a train.  The mood slowly shifts through the timeline from a fun adventure to a somber reckoning while the main characters all are coming to terms with issues in their own lives, and a “final” confrontation with a gang of local hoods.  The film is highlighted by a great soundtrack, and subsequently named from Ben E King’s hit song. 

Recommendation:  I highly recommend this film.  Great acting, great direction, and great soundtrack have all come together.  I could argue this is River Phoenix’s best on screen performance.  ‘R’ rating is for language.

My Take:  I am approximately the same age as the 4 lead characters, so the mannerisms and behaviors of the characters on screen seemed very believable to me when I first saw this movie in the summer of 1986.  While I have not watched this film dozens of times as I have with many of my favorite films, this one seems imbedded in my mind, and I consider it one of the top 100 films I have ever watched.

**spoiler alert** The film opens with Gordie Lachance (Richard Dreyfuss) reading a newspaper article about a lawyer named Chris Chambers who was recently killed trying to break up a fight.  (Older) Gordie then proceeds to detail a story about him and his friends over Labor Day weekend in 1959, on a journey to see a dead body.

Young Gordie (Wheaton), Chris Chambers (Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Haim), and Vern Tessio (O’Connell) we learn are all “misfits”.  Gordie is a shy, bookish sort, who has a talent for writing stories.  Gordie’s older brother Denny had been recently killed in a car accident and his parents now essentially ignore him.  Chris comes from a family of criminals, and although he has done nothing criminal himself, the townsfolk look down on him.  Teddy’s dad is a World War II vet, and although it is not specifically stated, his dad is suffering from PTSD, and injured Teddy at some point in the past (he held his ear to a stove, and it is now deformed).  Vern is the picked on “fat kid” of the group.

The weekend begins with Vern telling the other 3 at their clubhouse that earlier that day he overheard his older brother Billy and Billy’s friend Charlie talking about seeing the dead body of a missing local boy named Ray Brower.  Billy and Charlie do not want to report seeing the body to the local police because they were dumping a stolen car at the time, and would therefore have had no other reason to be out that far where the body is.  Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern decide to go see the body, then report it to police to become “heroes”. 

The atmosphere starts off in a light, jovial manner.  In a somewhat comical scene the boys have a run in with the local junkyard owner whose dog Chopper is rumored to attack with the command “sick balls”.  The 4 soon make their way to the railroad tracks, singing along to the top songs on the local radio station played from a handheld transistor radio, telling stories, and talking about TV shows they like and girls.  The highlights of the day are a train dodge by Gordie and Vern, and finally the evening ending with the story of a pie eating contest that Gordie had written.

The film takes a darker tone the closer they get to the body.  The friends question why they are really going to see Ray Brower.  Chris tearfully questions to Gordie why he cannot seem to escape the stigma of being from a “trashy” family.  Gordie later breaks down, convinced that his father hates him and that his father wished it was Gordie who died in the accident instead of Denny.  While taking a short cut through the woods, the group falls into a swamp and end up covered in leeches.  Chris and Teddy argue about continuing down the tracks, which Gordie angrily says they “are not going back.”

In the background of the 4 main character’s story, we learn about Billy and Charlie’s friends who are part of a hoodlum gang led by “Ace” Merrill (Sutherland).  Chris’ older brother “Eyeball” Chambers seems to be the #2 guy.  The hoods learn about Ray Brower’s location from Billy and Charlie, and begin their drive towards the body so they can gain the “hero” recognition of finding it for themselves.

In the final standoff Ace pulls a switchblade out and is about to slash Chris’ throat over “possession” of the body, but Gordie fires a warning shot into the air from a gun which had been brought along, and forcing the older boys off.  The scene really came off almost scary because no one, including Ace’s friends really seemed to initially think he was being serious and would have cut Chris’ throat, but the fact is his character was truly a sociopath and at that very moment of realization he would have killed Chris over this matter, is when the shot rang out.  Gordie states to everyone that they are leaving Ray Brower there.  The audience is told that later an anonymous call is made to the police about the location of his body, so neither group got recognition.

Older Gordie ties off the story about how Chris, Vern, and Teddy had turned out, but remembering that weekend with the fondness of both an adult and adolescent, and what having friends is all about.

 

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun: The movie is a well paced 89 minutes… “Stand By Me” came back into the Billboard charts in 1986… The book of short stories by Stephen King that “The Body” came from included two other stories that would become movies: The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil… This is Jerry O’Connell debut in film…