Stand by Me Reviews

Wow! One of the best films performed by mainly children. Touching story about 4 friends going on an adventure.

I had actually already seen this flick but it was a while ago and I thought it was time for a re-watch. Honestly, I thought it was pretty good but I didn't expect it to be so intense. Indeed, it is easily the best movie dealing with children that I have ever seen. It is widely known that to make a movie with children is one of the most difficult things for multiple reasons and most of the features dealing with this subject are either phony or terribly condescending. Not this flick though. Indeed, for once, Stephen King dropped his horror shenanigans and instead wrote a simple but really efficient and completely heartfelt youth story and Rob Reiner created one of the best adaptations of a King book. Man, Reiner was really on fire back in those days... 'A Few Good Men', 'Misery', 'When Harry Met Sally','The Princess Bride', 'The Sure Thing', 'This Is Spinal Tap',... All those movies were critical and financial success and most of them some bonafide classics. It is such a shame that afterwards, it all went downhill with him and his work nowadays is terribly underwhelming. Of course, I shouldn't forget to mention the terrific cast (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cusack), especially those 4 kids were just downright amazing, giving some of the best children performances you'll ever see. The whole melancholy and sadness generated by this movie was even more grabbing when you think that the great River Phoenix would die only 7 years later. To conclude, this flick is even better than I remembered, it is a great classic and it is definitely worth a look, especialy if you like the genre.

Not bad for a coming-of-age film. I always find those types of films so boring, I also hate the stereotypical characters that come along with the boredom. But, this, was somewhat different. I've seen a few films like these with Corey Feldman, like The Goonies, which yes, I did enjoy. Though I only really watched this for River Phoenix, I think he was a good child actor, and it is a shame he died early, he's only really known for this film, which kind of annoys me. It's the same situation with a few others actors who died early too, for example: James Dean - Rebel Without a Cause; Heath Ledger - Dark Knight. So...I really would have liked to have seen more of Phoenix, but sadly that wont be.

Some of the reasons I liked this film, and I'm giving it a 7 was 1. I liked the majority of the story, for it didn't for bloody once include long dirty talks about sex, girls more sex etc. I detest those things in a film, let alone in a coming of age film, but, no I was certainly free from all of that.

Though, this must be mentioned, I thought the story was oh so very slightly weak, it honestly did not have a lot to go on, but I've been redeemed by such matters in books, why should it be different in a film?, yes, that's a question I'd like to know the answer to.

Overall, I've seen some pretty bad (disgusting) coming of age films, but I truly think that this film had a spark of originality. Though come on, I only really watched it in the first place to coming a step nearer to watching the whole of River's filmography. And, thankfully, it most certainly wasn't a disaster.

All of Rob Reiner's films released in the 80's were great but Stand By Me over-takes them all and is now currently my no. 1 favourite film from him. The film, which borrows the title from the classic Ben E. King song of the same name, is the silver-screen adaptation of his novella, The Body and is a rather impressive movie and a very thoughtful one at that. I still haven't read the novella but something tells me I would be very, very soon. The way the four leads are described is realistic and amazing. Everyone did a tremendous job and signalling only one out would be a shame and I think everyone should be given equal credit.

Stand By Me is one of those films I've seen which bought back many memories. I mean, the 4 kids and how they acted reminded me of my time in school with my classmates. I was the Vern of my group while looking almost like Gordie and had glasses like Teddy. With great direction, amazing performances and great selection of 50's songs, Stand By Me should be viewed not just as a film but rather like a trip down memory lane. A beautiful, touching movie.

9.0/10

In my opinion this is the movie that sums up in a best way the adolescence ever made. The amazing soundtrack turns us to a journeys where subjects like: love, togetherness, family, loyalty and courage are expost -proof in their 90min. It's a genuine example of how cinema can be entertaining and at the same time have some content. The movie even presents an aspiring star named River Phoenix who not only became a new James Dean because of a ballad unsuccessful in Sunset Boulevard. All those who were children in 80 years must hold on this movie and younger, must surely see and experience this delicious handiwork!

"Stand by my side" support four boys around 13 to start one of the greatest adventures of their lives. They decide to flee their homes to find the corpse of a boy who overheard it lying dead next to the train lines. The journey is trying to heal the personal wounds and have to face a gang of older boys who are claim and in turn the glory of the discovery of the dead boy.
One of the few Stephen King books that contains so many socio-psychological personality references to four boys spent the early adolescent period.

In Stand by me, seamlessly combines the atmosphere of mystery and adventure (as close to the children in finding the corpse, so the suspense climaxes), but to become a thriller nor a case for once! On the other hand, gentle children's party ceases to be so gentle as the plot develops as small "truant" has to grapple with highly traumatized. They must become men and the only place to do this is through their joint venture and their friendship.

A story of courage and friendship, then this is the Stand by me. One story has a moral lesson in the end, manages to keep the public's interest and although the peak is not particularly dramatic, nobody can be resented by the developments. Four children are men, four children wounded, they find the courage and strength to resist and fight with something stronger than them.

If you ask me which film is the best, I will say this one. Young River.

its better now than it was then - films bizzarely grown up with me! I thought after watching it soo much years ago thought that it would be weak - the opposite - classic..

I knew I was going to like Stand By Me because of it being a Stephen King novel but I had absolutely no idea that I would love it as much as I did. Stand By Me is a really grand experiencing adventure for the four kids within the film. What I loved most about this film was that it showed how fun experiencing new things can really be and how also I love going camping and walking through forests and experiencing things in the outside world. The title comes from a song with the same title by Ben E. King (which plays during the closing credits) and is based on the novella The Body by Stephen King. The film was just too amazing to describe. Personally, Stand By Me is a film/book of true friendship and what friends really are. This is probably the most different book from Stephen King because King has always done books of science fiction, horror and thrillers whereas this one is like a real drama. It does have a similar taste to The Treasure OF Sierra Madre to it apart from that they aren't there to find any gold but to try and find a possibly dead child. This film was pretty funny at times mostly with the "lardass" story. It was also rather tense especially with the gang. I have to say that this is a very predictable story and you can sort of tell what is going to happen but it is a story on great friendship and powerful bonds between characters. I don't know any other actor in this apart from obviously the late River Phoenix.


River was an actor with such great talent at such a young age. He's a bit like Heath Ledger. His death hit everybody just like Heath Ledger's death did. River was only 15 or 16 years old in Stand By Me as Chris Chambers with such a realistic helping hand towards his friends and is a very understanding person as well. He is like a real tough guy at least at the start of the film anyway and as their adventure carries on he becomes a bit softer. I liked the other three young boys who portrayed Chris's other companions. Will Wheaton as the sensitive lad Gordie, Corey Feldman as flamboyant Teddy and Jerry O'Connell as scaredy-cat Vern. They are all very brave kids especially because they are only in their mid teens and are going through the woods to try and find a dead child.


The directing was absolutely fantastic from Rob Reiner. He made it a real film for adults but regarding the teens relationships and how they behave around each other that is rather good for teenagers because it helps build relationships to a slightly higher and more personal level. I was reconsidering in calling this film a road film but I am unsure if Reiner didn't direct this film it wouldn't be. It is a film that only he could have directed.His directing was really awesome with that really clever, brand new standard of adventure drama films. The script was very good with a very original theme of murder mystery and of friendship.


I do love Stephen King's novels because he is my favourite novelist. My favourite King novel is The Green Mile but I do have The Shining, Shawshank Redemption, Misery and now Stand By Me as five-star Stephen King novels. This one is the least best of those ones but a bloody masterpiece! I think it's River Phoenix's best performance. R.I.P. River Phoenix. Stand By Me stands its rightful place on my favourite films list, on my top adventure films, one of my favourite road films and even one of my favourite films of the 1980s. Love it!!