Once upon a time, budding director Rob Reiner wished to direct a Stephen King adaptation for the screen. In the space of four years, he did this twice. Stand By Me started as a short story titled The Body, and later along came the unforgettable Misery. The axe-wielding, blood-curdling horror of Misery is usual for King's work, and alongside the moving story of four young friends on an adventure, Reiner really picked two King stories at opposite ends of the spectrum. Both are splendid reads, both are splendid movies, and here we have a look at one of the best movies of 1986, which features a long list of famous '80s faces.
"I was 12, going on 13, the first time I saw a dead human being..." the Narrator, the wise, serene voice of Richard Dreyfuss, tells us. It is the Summer of 1959 in sweet little small-town Oregon, Castle Rock, which is the home and sanctuary of young, aspiring writer Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton). Gordie's young life knows more misery than it should. His big brother and only sibling Denny (a young John Cusack) was recently killed in an accident, and his parents (Marshall Bell and Frances Lee McCain, from Gremlins) are shattered. Gordie becomes "the invisible boy," and feels his parents would've been happier if he'd died instead.
Luckily on the outskirts of town, there's a nestle of trees, with the faint sound of Bobby Day ringing from a neat little treehouse. And if you know the secret knock, then the best friends in the world are right there. Chris Chambers (the late, exquisite River Phoenix), "the leader of our gang and my best friend," comes from a rough family, but is a good, smart kid trying to outrun his reputation. Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman, before it all went wrong) is the rough-and-tumble kid in cammo, with a chip on his shoulder, and serious emotional damage beneath it. Then there's the obligatory lovable fat kid, Vern Tessio ( Jerry O'Connell) who is under the thumb, and belt, of his older brother.
These wonderful characters are the total soul of the movie, and there is so much that's great about them. Firstly, they are well developed characters, with families, pasts, futures, and emotions. Each has his own 'big scene' and is given equal mention in the story and its action. But then of course, we have four unforgettable performances from the young actors. Wil Wheaton seems like an empty body, with vacant eyes when in the presence of his cold family, but ignites in the company of his friends, and his cheerful spirit breaks the little boy lost from his household.
Corey Feldman really could act once. Perhaps he still can, and perhaps we'd know if his career brought him more than Dancing on Ice and a documentary detailing his dysfunctional co-habiting with Corey Haim shortly before his death. In '86, Feldman had infectious laughter and personality, with Teddy Duchamp being the class clown no one can help but laugh with. His emotional sequence, harrowingly performed, apparently reflected Feldman's frustration at his tormented family life, and the young actor produced these feelings in his acting.
River Phoenix was an amazing person, with real soul and passion for everything, for life in general. His beauty and charm radiated, and his Chris Chambers was a haunting parallel in both men's ultimate young demises. Chris's sad tale is delicately undertaken, with Phoenix hitting the perfect note in terms of timing his emotional reactions to his dialogue, and making the moment totally real, and totally devastating.
Jerry O'Connell is the movie's regular source of innocently dim-witted humour, with Vern's lack of appropriate timing, comment or question. Vern's ideal breakfast consists of Pez, Twinkies and root beer, and he wonders who'd win in a fight between Superman and Mighty Mouse. He is beautifully naive, and so very funny.
The boys set out on a hike up the train tracks to find the dead body of a local kid, who is rumoured to have been killed out in the woods. Originally, they just intend to make the most of their last weekend before school starts, and to get on TV and be local heroes for recovering the body. But on the adventure, they find out things about each other, about themselves, about life and about what their futures hold. They experience some very amusing episodes, and some very heartfelt ones, all the while with Ace (Kiefer Sutherland) and his gang on their tails, wanting to claim the body for themselves.
Reiner puts so much attention and focus into the kids, and pays their characters the proper respect. Too often movies really should be about the kids, but are sidetracked by some generic romance between two adult actors who get top billing undeservedly. Adult interaction is kept to a suitable minimum in Stand By Me, with much of the wisdom and insight coming from the kids themselves. It's remarkable to see what young kids observe, and what they feel. And even so, it's not a kids' movie. It's a movie for adults who remember what it was like to be a kid.
Cinematography is beautiful- picturesque. Endless landscapes of hills, rivers, mountains, blue skies, forests and fields all in sunshine gold, or dusky evening purples. Each scene of the boys' journey glows with serenity, and sincerity, and is characterised by a funky '50s soundtrack, featuring Buddy Holly, The Chordettes, Jerry Lee Lewis, and of course, Ben E. King. The movie captures an era, if not the '50s then just that particular weekend, immortalises it with every drop of purity intact, and allows a reminiscent escape whenever you care to press play.
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