Stand by Me | Rotten Tomatoes

Aug 22, 2015

First things first, and let's get this out of the way right out of the gate, but 15-year-old River Phoenix, assuming the film was shot in 1985 and then released in 1986, was an absolutely excellent actor. I don't want to say that he was one of the elite actors of all time, but he was better than just about everyone BUT the truly elite by the age of FIFTEEN. Think about that for a second. FIFTEEN fucking years old and he's already better than a lot of people. The film may certainly revolve around Wil Wheaton's character, but I'll be damned if River Phoenix isn't the heart and soul of this particular film. I honestly didn't even find Wil Wheaton's character that interesting. It's not that he doesn't have an interesting character arc, his parents ignored him after the death of his older brother, who was the apple of his parents' eyes and how he, in his own mind, believes that his parents would rather have him die instead of his older brother. But, the fact of the matter is that without River's character for Gordie, Wil's character, to bounce that off from then the film simply wouldn't have worked on a deeper emotional level as it did. It's not that Teddy or Vern, as characters, were useless, it's just that there's not the connection between either of them and Gordie as there is between Gordie and Chris. So I think that, really, the entire film hinges on Chris being there and, ultimately, Gordie is inspired to write this story, as an adult, after hearing that Chris had been stabbed to death. So Chris pretty much drives the narrative forward right from the beginning. And I don't mean to say that Teddy or Vern don't comprise anything to the group. Because, as a whole, these kids seemed like a great group of friends and I think the film definitely benefited from having both Vern and Teddy. Particularly Vern, who added a comedic touch to the film. But, as a whole, the casting is pretty much top-notch all around. I think the film pretty much, perfectly, captures what it is like to be that age and the importance your friends are, particularly at that age, and how those bonds would change and mold you into the person you turn out to be as an adult. Though it is also bittersweet in the sense that, even though it seemed to be like this group would be friends forever, how they eventually just drifted apart after their journey to see the dead body. I think that's an universal theme, honestly. Life takes you in different directions and maybe that means that you don't keep up with your friends quite like you used to in the past. So that's quite poignant. But, again, it also looks at the bonds you forged with these people and how important they truly are. I think the film is incredibly well-written. And the acting is excellent. As mentioned, River Phoenix was just incredible here. Jerry O'Connell and Corey Feldman are also really good here. Honestly, I thought Wil Wheaton was the 'worst' of them all and he was still pretty good. Very little in the way to complain about here, honestly. This is a great movie from top-to-bottom. It's funny and it's heartfelt. The body, honestly, becomes irrelevant, even by the film's own implicit admission. It's all about the journey for these boys and the journey is definitely worth taking, particularly if you haven't seen this film. I've seen parts of it here and there, but yesterday was the first time watching it from beginning to end in one sitting. Kinda ashamed that I waited so long to watch this honestly. Great film.

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