Stand By Me
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I remember watching this film a few years ago; when I was around the age of the boys in the film and thought it was great. I managed to win the DVD as a freebee recently and watched it again last night. Despite not feeling the same as I did all of those ... Read review
A sleeper hit when released in 1986,Stand by Meis based on Stephen King's novella "The ... more
Body" (from the bookDifferent Seasons); but it's more about the joys and pains of boyhood friendship than a morbid fascination with corpses. It's about four boys age...
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A sleeper hit when released in 1986,Stand by Meis based on Stephen King's novella "The ... more
Body" (from the bookDifferent Seasons); but it's more about the joys and pains of boyhood friendship than a morbid fascination with corpses. It's about four boys age...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
In a small Oregon town a group of friends- sensitive Gordie tough-guy Chris and ... more
flamboyant Teddy are in search of a missing teenager's body. Wanting to be heroes in each others' and their hometown's eyes they set out on an unforgettable two-day tre...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
In a small woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends - sensitive Gordie, tough-guy Chris, and ... more
flamboyant Teddy are in search of a missing teenager's body. Wanting to be heroes in each others' and their hometown's eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two...
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Great film with gr8 actors Disadvantages: Seems to be something missing
...'The Body' by Stephen King, Stand by Me.
Gordie Lachance is the narrator of the film, as a middle aged man with children, he's looking back on his time as a 12 year old boy and his friends and what they got up to on their biggest adventure.
Lachance and 4 friends set out to find a body of a young boy around their age who had gone missing to get fame and fortune. However, they are faced with having the town's bullies ... ...despite the fact I can't stand him as an actor is Keifer Sutherland who plays the town bully. He and his friends are also in search of the body and will stop at nothing to get it.
===Why is it good?===
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It's very rare where you see films which follows just four very young actors cause as they say in showbizzness, never work with children or animals. The other amazing thing about this film, ... more
Stand By Me
----------------------- I remember watching this film a few years ago; when I was around the age of the boys in the film and thought it was great. I managed to win the DVD as a freebee recently and watched it again last night. Despite not feeling the same as I did all of those years ago, I still thought it was a tremendous film with 4 actors who were just amazing.
The Plot
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Based on the short story called 'The Body' by Stephen King, Stand by Me.
Gordie Lachance is the narrator of the film, as a middle aged man with children, he's looking back on his time as a 12 year old boy and his friends and what they got up to on their biggest adventure.
Lachance and 4 friends set out to find a body of a young boy around their age who had gone missing to get fame and fortune. However, they are faced with having the town's bullies also looking for the body.
Who will find the body in time and get the fame and fortune?
The Cast
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This is the best part of the film. The cast is amazing. The only one that probably made a very big name for himself is Keifer Sutherland but the rest all managed good success.
Probably the main star of the film and the biggest name in 1986 was River Phoenix, who was the 20th century version of Heath Ledger. Full of talent and had only reached the peak in their career when they made one mistake and were taken from the world.
Phoenix plays Chris Chambers who is from the wrong side of the tracks and is the sort of boy that you know 'is going to turn out bad'. He is Gordie's best friend and the leader of their gang and believes that he'll never be able to get out of Castle Rock.
Teddy DuChamp is played by Corey Feldman (who we all know from the Lost Boys). Teddy is a strange boy, often picked on by the gang. His father is abusive and is apparently in a loony bin. Teddy however ignores all of the abuse and the fact that his father's slightly deranged and has a great love for him and will stop at nothing to protect his father's name.
Vern Tessio played by Jerry O'Connel. When O'Connell was in this film he was the youngest of the boys at only 11 years old. This was his first ever film and was very good in it. He plays Vern who is a fat kid who seems to get picked on by the gang and everyone else. What shocked me was I was sat looking at the DVD case when watching this and I had this image of a guy called Jerry O'Connell in my head. He was this handsome gorgeous actor who was in one of the Scream movies. We laughed it off as this little 11 year old looked nothing like him and usually you can see, however when watching the special features it turns out I was right and this was the same gorgeous actor that was in Scream & Jerry McGuire.
Wil Wheaton plays Gordie LaChance is the main character in the film. He is the narrator and talks about what he and his friends got up to when searching for the body.
Like I said earlier the only actor who has really made a name for himself despite the fact I can't stand him as an actor is Keifer Sutherland who plays the town bully. He and his friends are also in search of the body and will stop at nothing to get it.
Why is it good?
-----------------------It's very rare where you see films which follows just four very young actors cause as they say in showbizzness, never work with children or animals. The other amazing thing about this film, is with child actors they are usually fed their lines and a lot of the script is done in little chunks so the editing team have a lot of work to do to put the film together, however the four boys were such good actors and they were able to pick up their cues so well that a lot of the script was done without 'cuting'.
The film is about how one event can unexpectedly change people's lives. It's a story about friendship and the fact that are your friends when you are 10-14 years old, the best friends you'll ever have, even if you don't talk to them anymore. I do believe this statement is true.
Rob Reiner directed an amazing film and one that will truly be remembered. One of my favourite things throughout the movie is the famous tune of Stand By Me by Ben E King. It's truly a fantastic song, and goes perfect with this film.
The story is just truly simple but amazing, the film just follows four boys as they go on this journey, smoking and drinking along the way and it just reminds you of a better time.
I'm not old by any means but it really does make you think. Do you really have the same great friends you have when you were twelve? There's a great scene where they're just sitting talking about the important things you talk about when you were twelve and before you've discovered girls/boys and there sitting there asking what animal is goofy. I remember quite clearly having the same conversation after watching this film with my friends the first time, and we were around 12 at the time. It seemed to be all that was important at the time.
The film despite being simple is quite thought provoking as it does make you think. Will I ever have the same amazing friends that I had back then? I have stayed close to a few, but most have just fallen through the cracks.
Trivia
-----------------------If you do happen to get the DVD I assure you watching the special features is a must. It shows interviews with all of the cast and crew (except unfortunately River Phoenix). They really show an insight into the film which is great and makes you watch it in a different way.
One of the things that made me laugh was the most famous scene where they are about to get killed by a train. The two boys didn't look scared enough, so the director stood there and shouted at the boys until they were crying and that they looked scared enough and then said film! If you watch it again you can just see that they'll be running away from the director and not the train.
Stephen King also tells us that the leeches scene actually was taken from his childhood when he had the same thing done to him.
Keifer Sutherland stayed in cast all the way through filming so the younger boys were actually afraid of him.
The main shock for me was to see what Jerry O'Connell looks like now. I would have never have said in a million years that they were the same people.
River Phoenix was the eldest of the boys. He was 16 years old playing a 12 year old boy. Phoenix died 7 years later from a drug overdose, however in his short life managed to touch many people's hearts, as he has at least 4 songs that I know of that were dedicated to him.
Should You Watch It?
-----------------------------------It's the sort of film that's not really going to be your favourite film of all time, but it's always nice to be able to say, yes I've watched that film and this is one of them. It's an enjoyable film and really does make you reminisce and despite being quite a simple film is very thought provoking. The reason the film worked so well was most defiantly the actors as they delivered to their fullest and produced this great movie.
Summer 1959, Castle Rock, Oregon. Four 12 year old boys hang out together, tease one another and play cards in their treehouse. Gordie is the sensitive one, the boy that wants to become a writer. Chris Chambers is the one with the troubled home life, he’s labelled a thief at school but deep down he’s one of the best friends you could have. Teddy Duchamp is mad – he’s loud and his Dad is crazy. He tried to burn Teddy’s ear right off by pushing his ... ...tubby one, the guy that’s just there so they can pick on him.
However Vern is under his porch one day, looking for the jar of pennies he buried there months before and he hears his brother and his friend talking. They’re saying that there’s a kid’s body down by the rail tracks. Ray Brower, who was a pupil at their school, went missing a while ago and no one's seen him since. Chances are, the body is his. Vern can’t wait to run breathlessly to the ...
kirstymack80 05.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me (DVD)
Advantages: An amazing film that should be owned by everyone Disadvantages: None
Stand by me is one of my all time favourite films. The film was released in 1986, and was released on DVD in 2000. ~The Story~
The story is narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, who appears at the end of the film. He is writing a book about a particular time in his childhood, sharing memories of his friends and the experiences they had growing up.
The story is set in a small Oregon town in the year 1959, where we follow the story of Gordie (Wil Wheaton), ... ...the tracks: The summer of Stand By Me'.
* Filmographys.
* Isolated score.
* Music video - Ben E.King 'Stand by me'.
And an interactive menu with Language choice, multiple language subtitles and scene selections.
~Trivia~
Although the boys played 12 year olds, River (Chris) was 15 in the last month of shooting, Corey (Teddy) was 14, Wil (Gordie) was 13 and Jerry (Vern) was 11.
Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman both co-stared in the 1987 film ...
chilipepper27 13.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me (DVD)
Advantages: Great film, likable characters Disadvantages: None
...The Story Stand By me is based on the short story 'The Body' which was written by Stephen King. The film is narrated by one of the main characters in the film, Gordie Lachance. He narrates the film as a 40 something man, with children who is looking back on his life, at a time when he was 12 years old. Gordie and his three friends set out on the biggest adventure of their lives when they decide to go and find the body of a missing boy who was the ... ...in their life that will stand out for them as being an amazing point in their life. Mine is when I was at college between the ages of 17-19, when I had an amazing group of friends and we did the craziest things. Although most of us are settled or in different countries and don't see each other like we used to, nothing will ever be able to take away my amazing memories of our time together and Stand By Me really brings that point home. DVD Extras ...
daylehall 13.12.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me (DVD)
Advantages: Superb coming-of-age drama Disadvantages: May mean more to the guys
...Kings Stand By Me music video.
Overall, the extra features are very good, with the “making of” featurette making this essential buying.
OVERALL
Possibly the best coming-of-age drama, this is essential for anybody’s collection, however, film may mean more to the guys rather than the ladies. ...
kingsanj 23.04.2001 (05.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me (DVD)
Advantages: Funny, Moving, Great Cast Disadvantages: Not as much action as there could be
Stand By Me is an excellent coming-of-age movie released in 1986. The story was written by Stephen King named 'the Body', it has an excellent soundtrack, a brilliant cast, and it is moving and funny. In the back of your mind while watching this film is the knowledge that in under 10 years later Corey Feldman would have a drug addiction and River Phoenix would have died of a lethal drug cocktail.
The cast include Wil Wheaton (who went on to Star ... ...2 day trip, and they stand up for each other when the local gang of teeangers (led by Keifer Sutherland) comes up against them. The story is narrated by Richard Dreyfuss who is Wil Weatons character, as a man with children of his own.
Some Quotes:
Gordie: Mickey is a mouse, Donald is a duck, Pluto is a dog. What's Goofy...? Teddy: He's a dog, he's definitely a dog... Chris: He can't be a dog, he wears a hat and drives a car... Vern: Yeah, that ...
LADYFUCHSIA 14.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me (DVD)
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This faboulous story is about 4 boys on the verge of being teenagers who know there lives will soon be changing decide to go on a last boyhood jaunt to discover if the rumours about a dead body are true,while searching for the body the boys over come a variety of obstacles that strengthen there friendships while followed by the teenage bully in the form of Keifer sutherland,they journey on till they find the area where the body should be and search for there gruesome discovery
This has to be one of my favorite movies ,its told beautifully and strikes your imagination most vividly,its a all star cast with Wil Wheaton,River phoneix,Corey fieldman and Jerry oconnell as the four youngsters who deliver excellent performances ,the sound track also adds to the memorable atmosphere to the film,with lots of catchy rock and roll tracks ...
Advantages: Great acting, great story, great setting Disadvantages: Zero
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'StandByMe' is both a tremendously sad and delightfully happy movie: it reminds you of the great times of your childhood while making you melancholy about the fact that those times will never come again. The ending is powerful, and the whole film beatifully captured by director Rob Reiner. By the time Benny King's classic drifts the end credits inward, your spirits have been simultaneously lifetd and drained. One of the most emotive, classic movies of all time. ...
BennyRialto 09.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me DVD
Advantages: see text Disadvantages: certificate 15
StandbyMe - a timeless classic, both the song, and the movie. StandbyMe is based on the Stephen King Short story, "The Body" - Found in the book "Four Seasons, alongside "The Shawshank Redemption", and I can safely say the movie does the book justice.
A story of 4 American boys, who live in the 60’s in your average small town. As with all young boys they want excitement and adventure, and if the truth be told, they want to find out what life is really about, to find some sense of meaning. The film follows the four boys in their search for the body of a young boy who had been missing for some time, Ray Bower. This might sound a little "Sick" to some of you, as it did to me on first reading of the book, but there is much more to it, it goes deeper than that.
Geordi (played by Wil Wheaton), is described as a "sensitive ...
Belfastgirl 19.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stand By Me DVD
Critically acclaimed story set in 1959, which tells of four friends who go on a overnight camping trip to find a missing teenager's body, but ultimately find out a lot about themselves. Based on a short story by Stephen King.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Feature Length Commentary By Director Rob Reiner, Featurette, Filmographies, Isolated Score, Menu Music, Music Video Ben E King stand By Me
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital Mono
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Professional reviews
Review
"...While Reiner succeeds in building the story around Wheaton's convincing vulnerability, he also has achieved a rare feat of getting equally empathetic and outstanding performances from everyone else in the cast..." (Variety, 30/07/1986)
DVD Description
Based on Stephen King's novella THE BODY, director Rob Reiner's STAND BY ME is the disarmingly tender and subtly sublime story of four kids on the precipice of early adulthood who embark upon a quest. There's Gordie (Wil Wheaton), the intelligent, creative one with the obviously bright future. His best buddy, Chris (River Phoenix), hardens his image in order to hide the pain from the physical abuse he endures at home, all the while harboring the hope of escaping that image. Rounding out the foursome are Vern (Jerry O'Connell), the pudgy tagalong, and Teddy (Corey Feldman), a loyal and funny but troubled kid with a death wish. When the four boys hear about a dead body 20 miles down the railroad tracks from their small Oregon town, they clandestinely set upon the unwieldly journey to lay eyes on this rare find. Amid numerous misadventures, Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy savor what may be their last chance to revel in the simple life of children; around the corner is a future that could tear them apart, not to mention a tough teen gang who desires local fame by finding the body first. Enhanced by excellent performances and an engaging plot, STAND BY ME ranks among the best of the myriad coming-of-age films to dot the 1980s cinematic landscape.
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