Stand By Me (1986) (Review)

Stand By Me directed by Rob Reiner is an all time classic. Ahhhhhhh yes Stand By Me! I just found the missing link between Goonies and Monster Squad!!!! The first was made in ’85, the second in ’87 and, in between, in ’86, there was this one. Another movie with kids that adults can enjoy. And another successful Stephen King adaptation, although I haven’t read the short story “The Body” but I recognize the great master’s touch. So this film can easily join Carrie, Christine, Misery, Shawshank Redemption, Green Line and The Mist. Interesting story, good moments of suspense, catchy dialogue. 

No gore, even if one scene is really filthy. It’s crazy, because it’s a scene where everyone throws up. And what’s incredible is that in The Goonies, Choco recounts one of the most stupid things he’s ever done. He recounts how he made fake puke, pretended to give back his meal and made everyone in the room regurgitate! That’s exactly what happened in the eating contest scene in Stand By Me. This scene is sufficiently offbeat and absurd to be funny. We’ve clearly seen worse elsewhere. 

I’ve never understood the appeal of eating contests. How can you have food contests when other people are starving? And there’s no pleasure in it: you’re stressed to win, you eat as much as you can, there’s no respect for food, you eat it until you reject it or feel sick to your stomach. 

Another interesting fact: the most annoying kid in the group is dubbed in French by the same person who dubbed Choco!  And here, the man who played the playboy Bagou (yes, yes, Corey Feldman!) is on board.

Once again, he’s part of a gang. He’s wearing glasses here, which makes it easy not to think about Bagou (a difficult thing, I grant you!) throughout the film. His character is excellent. Annoying at times, touching at others.

Wil Wheaton is an extraordinarily natural young actor in this film. His acting is powerful yet understated. The ideal actor for this role, I think. 

The late River Phoenix is equally perfect. As the leader of the group of friends, we see him as very tough at first, then we increasingly see the beautiful humanity of this character. A bit like Brandon Lee, it’s strange to see this film knowing that this actor hasn’t been around for a long time.

Jerry O’Connell plays the most irritating, whiny character, the one you want to tar all the time. But in the end, what really counts and is truly beautiful is the sincere friendship between these four characters. The further we go, the more we see their solidarity. 

Kiefer Sutherland: already accustomed to thuggish roles by now. Frankly, this actor is incredible. Over the years, he’s proven that he’s not just used to playing bad guys, but that he can also play cops and victims. We’re really lucky to have such actors. 

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I really enjoyed seeing this film. I wasn’t bored. On the contrary, there were even scenes I watched several times. A big thank you to the director, Rob Reiner of course. This is a masterpiece. My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐