Looking Back: Stand By Me

I wasn’t old enough to write about my favourite films when they first came out. Those films developed who I am as a movie-goer now and now I feel it’s only right to take a look back at some of my favourites, starting with Stand By Me.

I hold very few films as dear as I hold Stand By Me, a film I hold in such high regard, I believe, because I was right smack in the target age range when I first saw it. I can still remember the day, cold and miserable outside, I happened across a DVD copy of the film, four boys on a railroad track on the cover and some names I recognised: Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman. I went in knowing nothing about the film, sat in my small bedroom with the lights off expecting something akin to The Goonies with a sense of eager anticipation as the credits role and the film begins.

Stand By Me, released in 1986, a film by Rob Reiner which was loosely based on the Stephen King novella “The Body” is a film that follows four young boys on who embark on a mission to find a local missing boy and, although the focus is very much on the completion of said adventure, the treasure is held within the journey. Four boys, on the cusp of awkward teenage years, have a bond only children can understand, the bond that isn’t burned by years of betrayal or real life, that still holds true to this day, a trust so endearing it can only be held by the innocence of children. Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern are all scarred in their own ways and they understand that, while separate their lives are self-destructive, largely hated-filled, homes; together they’re able to leave the pain and suffering behind and hold on to the last shred of innocence. This journey is about discovering themselves and setting the path forward for each of them.

River Phoenix plays Chris, a tough guy from the wrong side of the tracks whose brothers bad name has inevitably bled through in to his childhood. Now, throughout the town, Chris is seen as a bad egg and his innocence, while dented and hidden, is put on display in small, fleeting moments of weakness that see the him and Gordie bond throughout the film. Phoenix’s performance is subtle and affecting in its sincerity. His awkward tough guy persona that is a facade he holds only around others, is gently broken down for his friends to enable them to bond with the new Chris, a gentler, more human Chris who holds a higher understanding of the world that the other boys. He has seen the bad and is yet to see the good but holds out hope that is best friend, Gordie, will be the one to show it too him.

Gordie (Wheaton) is a boy stuck in a bubble. His older brother having recently died from a car accident is his parents only focus. They’re broken and can’t deal with their younger son. Gordie was always the oddball, his brother the big football star while Gordie chose pursuits such as writing and his parents, who don’t even appear to try, never did understand him. Gordie and his brother were close, his brother the only one of his family who Gordie could relate too so when his family begin pushing him away after the death, Gordie presumes this as a sign that they wished it was him that died. Gordie is tortured by the death of his brother and yet only one person – Chris – knows this. Although his other friends understand they largely steer away from the subject matter in fear for having to breach a deep and meaningful topic. Wheaton plays Gordie excellently as the awkward teen who struggles to relate to people. His quiet mumbling portray a lot of teenagers I knew growing up and so watching those scenes again put me right back in those moments, the only confidence he gains is from the bravado of his collecive of friends.

Teddy and Vern (Feldman and an extremely young Jerry O’Connell) while cruical parts of the story, are largely underused. They serve as support and comic relief from the depths to which Chris and Gordie constantly dive. Teddy is the son of a soldier who stormed the beach at Normandy who then, years later, attacked his son and burned his ear on a stove while Vern, a plump, young boy, is often misunderstood and prodded by his friends for his clumsy, idiotic ways. Both these characters are excellent in their roles as side characters and are played up to perfection when needed, falling back in to the scenery extremely quickly when something major happens to allow the two stars to shine. Their support is crucial and rounds out the group nicely with a nice dynamic.

The key to the success isn’t in the actors themselves, no matter how great they are, it was in the selection process that narrowed down the pool to these four boys that were so like their characters that they were, almost, not required to act. They were playing a caricatured version of themselves, each heavily relating to the issues of the characters and so slipping in to character easily between scenes. The film is one of the few examples of great child acting and a shining light on why the selection process is so vital. Under Rob Reiner’s wing the film takes on a more whimsical twist than its literary origin. The film deals extremely well with more adult themes of life and death while still keeping it within the reigned in view of four children who slowly come to understand what life is about.

While I would have liked to see the heavier ending portrayed within the film, I appreciate Reiner’s rewrite to lighten it up, changing the main focus from Chris to Gordie and having Chris’ tortured protagonist shine through in other areas. The over arc of Gordie dealing with life as he looks back while writing his memoirs adds a nice pace and Richard Dreyfuss narrating culminates in an amazing end that leaves an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach. You become attached to the kids throughout the film and while he types away at the last words of his book you come to realise, rather bluntly, that he’s correct. You never have friends like when you were twelve.

Even though it was years before River Pheonix would tragically die, I find the ending a great tribute to a great actor, his final scene as he fades away and the characters fate is confirmed is a morbid moment that is made even more morose when you add in the further knowledge of the actor.

For me, Stand By Me showed me that kids films didn’t have to be goofy and I didn’t have to be spoon fed themes through obvious tropes and cliches. As a child I watched this film and was shown a new way of handling more serious topics that would eventually lead me to some of my more favourite films. As an adult I watch and am reminded of the great times I spent with friends, the adventures and mischief one can find from a tree house and a few planks of wood; the friendships only children can have and the loss that we all eventually feel when we move past that age and in to something new. All together Stand By Me is a great movie and remains a timeless classic that will stand any test, hopefully showing future generations what friendship truly is.