Walking the Tracks: The Making of 'Stand By Me' (2002)
**** (out of 4)
Excellent look at the making of the classic STAND BY ME greatly benefits from having the majority of the main crew members. Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Will Wheaton, Richard Dreyfuss, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Kiefer Sutherland are all featured and each one brings so many great stories that you really wish this could have gone on much longer. King starts off talking about how much this story meant to him and he concluded by saying it was the first time someone got his work right. Reiner talks about his connection to the story and how he went about the casting process. Then we hear from Dreyfuss who talks about what he took from the story and what he wanted to do with the narration. The four actors talk about what Reiner expected from them and how they all were pretty much just like their characters with the exception of Sutherland who really did have to get into the part. Fans of the movie are certainly going to love hearing all of these stories as it's very clear that the movie meant a lot to everyone involved. We hear some great stories about the rehearsal process, favorite scenes for the actors and a hilarious story dealing with Reiner finally losing his cool and screaming at the kids to make them cry. The big question as to why Wheaton didn't get the cap back from Sutherland is discussed and the director gives a reasonable answer for that. The only negative thing that can be said is that the featurette should have been much longer. Obviously, the one person missing is River Phoenix but there's a very nice tribute to him.
**** (out of 4)
Excellent look at the making of the classic STAND BY ME greatly benefits from having the majority of the main crew members. Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Will Wheaton, Richard Dreyfuss, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Kiefer Sutherland are all featured and each one brings so many great stories that you really wish this could have gone on much longer. King starts off talking about how much this story meant to him and he concluded by saying it was the first time someone got his work right. Reiner talks about his connection to the story and how he went about the casting process. Then we hear from Dreyfuss who talks about what he took from the story and what he wanted to do with the narration. The four actors talk about what Reiner expected from them and how they all were pretty much just like their characters with the exception of Sutherland who really did have to get into the part. Fans of the movie are certainly going to love hearing all of these stories as it's very clear that the movie meant a lot to everyone involved. We hear some great stories about the rehearsal process, favorite scenes for the actors and a hilarious story dealing with Reiner finally losing his cool and screaming at the kids to make them cry. The big question as to why Wheaton didn't get the cap back from Sutherland is discussed and the director gives a reasonable answer for that. The only negative thing that can be said is that the featurette should have been much longer. Obviously, the one person missing is River Phoenix but there's a very nice tribute to him.