Stand by Me (1986)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Stephen King (novel)
Raynold Gideon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

For some, it's the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life. But for everyone, it's the time that memories are made of.

Plot:

After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find a body of a missing boy

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Writer | Dead Body | Brother | Teenager

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Wil Wheaton	...	Gordie Lachance
River Phoenix	...	Chris Chambers
Corey Feldman	...	Teddy Duchamp
Jerry O'Connell	...	Vern Tessio
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Ace Merrill
Casey Siemaszko	...	Billy Tessio
Gary Riley	...	Charlie Hogan
Bradley Gregg	...	Eyeball Chambers
Jason Oliver	...	Vince Desjardins
Marshall Bell	...	Mr. Lachance
Frances Lee McCain	...	Mrs. Lachance
Bruce Kirby	...	Mr. Quidacioluo
William Bronder	...	Milo Pressman
Scott Beach	...	Mayor Grundy
Richard Dreyfuss	...	The Writer

Also Known As:

The Body (USA) (working title)
Cuenta conmigo (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Compte sur moi (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) [fr]
Conta Comigo (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Állj ki mellettem! (Hungary) (TV title) [hu]
Állj mellém! (Hungary) (video title) [hu]
Anni V'Ha-Hevre (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Ostani uz mene (Croatia) [hr]
Sammenhold (Denmark) [da]
Stand by Me - Das Geheimnis eines Sommers (West Germany) [de]
Stand by me - Compte sur moi (France) [fr]
Stand by me - Ricordo di un'estate (Italy) [it]
Stand by me - viimeinen kesä (Finland) [fi]
Stuj pri mne (Czech Republic) [cs]
Venner for livet (Norway) [no]

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:15 | France:U | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #28071) | West Germany:6 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Brownsville, Oregon, USA

Company:

Act III

Trivia:

In the scene where Gordie and Chris race each other through the junkyard, Wil Wheaton could run faster than River Phoenix but Wheaton's character was supposed to lose. Wheaton had to fake a fast run when running slow so that Phoenix's character would win.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ace and the others are playing chicken, the position of the logs off the truck change.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Writer: [voiceover] I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being. It happened in the summer of 1959-a long time ago, but only if you measure in terms of years. I was living in a small town in Oregon called Castle Rock. There were only twelve hundred and eighty-one people. But to me, it was the whole world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Slipstream (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Paladin

Inspiration

As a lover of Stephen King's writing style and Rob Reiner's directing techniques, this movie leaves me speechless every time. It is an almost forgotten film about a time and a youth nearly forgotten, as well. And I will say, as a writer, the novella that this film was based upon, "The Body" has and always will be the inspiration for my style of writing.

First of all, I enjoy the title that was chosen for the film. "Stand By Me" fits what the characters in the story are facing. I think that all who have seen this film will agree that the problems are all things that we can relate to. All of us know someone like these characters. Most of us have met the boy down the road who had a brother with a bad name and a father with an alcohol problem, automatically being labeled as a "bad kid." And the boy with the military father, abusive and a little whacko. The fat kid, picked on and ridiculed for his weight.

To me, Gordy represents all of us. I found myself seeing a little of me in Gordy as I watched the film. I don't know if any one else shares this, but it was true. Gordy was not very strong, at first, and was not sure what he wanted, except to be with his friends. Still coping with the loss of his brother and the fact that his father was disrespectful to him, Gordy still stood up for what he believed in. And, in the end he surprised the characters and the viewers by standing up to the bullies that had plagued them all.

This film is certainly one of my top favorites. In fact, it lies in my top three, probably at #2 or #3. I feel that it is a film that everyone should see at some point in their life due to the fact it changes your look at youth and their trials. Few films are able to do that and I think that this one was an inspiration for others that will do the same in the future.