Stand By Me
Adventure-drama; rated R for language, violence, sexuality and some thematic material; Blu-ray only
The Gist: Four Oregon kids (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell) venture into the woods to to investigate the rumor of a dead body. Each boy is emotionally damaged in his own way, but their adventure bonds them and points the way forward.
The Lowdown: Among the few successful cinematic Stephen King film adaptations, Director Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” has long held its position in the pantheon of great coming-of-age movies.
This 25th anniversary edition repackages the original film with some nice extras, and it’s a good chance to get reacquainted with its eerie, funny and heartfelt rhythms.
Reiner does something special here, getting strong performances out of his young actors, and managing to retain the original story’s dark alchemy of childhood nostalgia and macabre imagination. Grown-ups might assume that kids don’t think about death, but they do – they just think about it in a different, maybe even scarier way.
Especially young Gordie (Wheaton), whose beloved older brother (John Cusack) was recently killed in an accident. Watching this 25 years later, the tragedy of River Phoenix’s death adds another layer of resonance.
“Stand By Me” was rated R in 1986. The rating comes partly from the dark material, but mostly for excessive language, I would guess. But the language is excessive because that’s how young teens and tweens talk when amongst themselves. I wouldn’t worry about it – this is a good movie for mature kids, and there’s nothing here they haven’t heard before.
The Extras: Director’s audio commentary track; a new retrospective featurette with King and Reiner; picture-in-picture commentary with King, Reiner, Wheaton and Feldman.
The Bottom Line: A surprisingly moving trip down the darker alleys off memory lane.
Double Secret Bonus Tip: “Stand By Me” is among three film adaptations made from King’s novella collection “Different Seasons,” along with “Apt Pupil” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”
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