Stand by Me was a surprise summer hit movie in 1986. The 'coming of age' story had broad audience appeal, and was made with a surprising depth to the characters and their dialogue.

Although set in 1959, the nostalgia factor is less in play since much of the story unfolds in the countryside. Four 12 year olds have learned of an unreported dead body discovered a day's walk away, and as an adventure they decide to take the hike together.

The four youths, in pecking order, are Chris (River Phoenix), the tough and introspective leader; Gordie (Wil Wheaton), intelligent and sensitive with a moral authority; Teddy (Corey Feldman), perhaps unstable and often obnoxious; and Vern (Jerry O'Connell), an overweight and insecure kid who is accustomed to verbal abuse even from his friends.

None of these leads are stereotypes. The same cannot be said for a major supporting character, Ace (Kiefer Sutherland). He is an older teen, and a bullying gang leader. An early confrontation with Chris and Gordie establishes Ace as the film's villain. A climactic confrontation between him and the pre-teenagers over the rights to the dead body is seemingly inevitable, and in due course both parties reach the body within minutes of each other.

But it is possible to pick apart a plot with excessive cynicism. Stand By Me already established itself as a good film before the ending, due its realistic characters and dialogue.

For me, the highlight of the movie is the pie eating contest, an impromptu fable that ends in deliriously grotesque fashion. This small portion of the film soars, because we are briefly free from the personalities of the four pre-adolescents that otherwise dominate the story.

Stand By Me has been praised, and deservedly so, for the credible performances by the young leads. However, there are occasional exaggerations and inconsistencies for dramatic effect. Chris is willing to die to prevent Ace from removing a dead body. Suicidal Teddy is eager to physically confront a bigger man for discrediting his father, but he runs from bullies after counseling Chris to do the same.

Perhaps Chris and Gordie are too sensitive, for 1959 or any other year. And is the audience expected to applaud when Vern finally throws punches at Teddy in return for his persistent harassment?

But these are trivial criticisms. On the whole, the actors are ably cast and depicted. The dialogue seems natural, even the bathroom humor that takes the risk of alienating a subset of the film's audience. But it would be worse to portray the kids as hip, completely innocent, or with angelic souls.

As a framing device, Richard Dreyfuss appears briefly. He plays Gordie as an adult, and serves as a "Wonder Years"-styled narrator. (The more cynical television show debuted some eighteen months after Stand By Me was released.) Dreyfuss' narration is perhaps too earnest, especially when Gordie sees a deer but decides to keep his ecstatic encounter with nature to himself, rather than share it with his more shallow companions. John Cusack has a more effective cameo as Gordie's too good to be true older brother.

Stand By Me was a box office success for director Rob Reiner, and it helped make stars of several of the film's leads. Wheaton soon gained notoriety as Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and he will mark a comeback in that role in the upcoming Star Trek film. Feldman's career gradually deteriorated into direct-to-video oblivion, while Sutherland recently scored with "24." Phoenix, unfortunately, overdosed in 1993, but his brother Joaquin has done well in recent movies.

Surprisingly, critical praise and a long run in theaters did not equate to Academy Awards. Stand By Me received two prestigious Golden Globe nods, for Best Picture and Best Director, and it picked up an Oscar nomination for its adapted screenplay. The film was based on a Steven King novella, part of the same four story compilation that also led to The Shawshank Redemption (1989) and Apt Pupil (1994). (62/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older