'Stand By Me' is told in the form of a memoir, as established writer Gordie Lachance (Richard Dreyfuss), stunned by a local newspaper item about the death of a close friend, sits in his car, remembering back to 1959. Then, in the fullness of late summer, he and three of his friends embarked on an adventure that changed the course of their very carefree existence: a journey deep into the nearby woods to find the body of one of their very own missing classmates. Weeks prior, Ray Brower had disappeared and was presumed dead by authorities; now, armed with a veiled suggestion that his remains rest by a lake near where train tracks cross through the woods, the four hike up to the woodland grave-site to discover the body, bring it back to town and be hailed as heroes by the media.
The movie cuts through what might otherwise be perceived as a devastating tragedy with a sense of cheerful displacement; in turn, we find certain nostalgic amusement in the way the young characters converse over embarrassment, implausible fears, the uncertain future, camaraderie and, most importantly, bullying. They also deal with devastating pasts that feel like shadows looming off camera – beanpole slim Gordie is still devastated by the untimely death of his oldest brother, bespectacled Teddy is abused by his mentally ill father, the no-nonsense leader of the gang Chris lacks a support system and pudgy little Vern is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and often verbalizes his inner paranoia in ways the others find comical. Each is something of a social misfit, subtly played by a phenomenal young cast and in the hands of these four, it makes for a journey thick in sarcasm but laced with an underlying dread that sneaks its way into their upbeat demeanors. They cling to their innocence even as the world around them grows darker, and when the plot insists they confront the gnawing influence of reality head-on, they refuse to be broken by the experience.
Director Rob Reiner has a remarkable ear for the rhythms and slang of these boys on the cusp, a keen eye for their bravado. In his effortless handling of the complexity of group dynamics, with its undeclared wars and mercurial alliances, he gracefully blends raucous comedy with intense drama and delivers a film that is as much about the loss of innocence as it is of the getting of wisdom. He cleverly inter-cuts the sobering undercurrent of pathos with frequent dialogue exchanges that are succinct, carefree and sometimes rather amusing. These exchanges become the path through which we empathize with their plight, gain perspective in their approach and, ultimately, find parallels in our own formative years. And because Stand by Me is an adult's recollection of the turning point of his youth, the film very effectively contrasts a boy's consciousness with that of a man's. Dreyfuss' dryly funny narration provides both shrewd comic relief from the juvenile melodramatics and a mature perspective of a child's crisis.
Rob Reiner's bucolic, nostalgic drama is suffused with the magic of childhood and rightfully deserves its place in the heart of an entire generation.
The movie cuts through what might otherwise be perceived as a devastating tragedy with a sense of cheerful displacement; in turn, we find certain nostalgic amusement in the way the young characters converse over embarrassment, implausible fears, the uncertain future, camaraderie and, most importantly, bullying. They also deal with devastating pasts that feel like shadows looming off camera – beanpole slim Gordie is still devastated by the untimely death of his oldest brother, bespectacled Teddy is abused by his mentally ill father, the no-nonsense leader of the gang Chris lacks a support system and pudgy little Vern is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and often verbalizes his inner paranoia in ways the others find comical. Each is something of a social misfit, subtly played by a phenomenal young cast and in the hands of these four, it makes for a journey thick in sarcasm but laced with an underlying dread that sneaks its way into their upbeat demeanors. They cling to their innocence even as the world around them grows darker, and when the plot insists they confront the gnawing influence of reality head-on, they refuse to be broken by the experience.
Director Rob Reiner has a remarkable ear for the rhythms and slang of these boys on the cusp, a keen eye for their bravado. In his effortless handling of the complexity of group dynamics, with its undeclared wars and mercurial alliances, he gracefully blends raucous comedy with intense drama and delivers a film that is as much about the loss of innocence as it is of the getting of wisdom. He cleverly inter-cuts the sobering undercurrent of pathos with frequent dialogue exchanges that are succinct, carefree and sometimes rather amusing. These exchanges become the path through which we empathize with their plight, gain perspective in their approach and, ultimately, find parallels in our own formative years. And because Stand by Me is an adult's recollection of the turning point of his youth, the film very effectively contrasts a boy's consciousness with that of a man's. Dreyfuss' dryly funny narration provides both shrewd comic relief from the juvenile melodramatics and a mature perspective of a child's crisis.
Rob Reiner's bucolic, nostalgic drama is suffused with the magic of childhood and rightfully deserves its place in the heart of an entire generation.