Stand by Me (1986)

After the death of one of his friends, a writer recounts a boyhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Raynold Gideon (screenplay)

Stars:

Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman

Top Rated Movies #203 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wil Wheaton	...	Gordie Lachance
River Phoenix	...	Chris Chambers
Corey Feldman	...	Teddy Duchamp
Jerry O'Connell	...	Vern Tessio
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Ace Merrill
Casey Siemaszko	...	Billy Tessio
Gary Riley	...	Charlie Hogan
Bradley Gregg	...	Eyeball Chambers
Jason Oliver	...	Vince Desjardins
Marshall Bell	...	Mr. Lachance
Frances Lee McCain	...	Mrs. Lachance
Bruce Kirby	...	Mr. Quidacioluo
William Bronder	...	Milo Pressman
Scott Beach	...	Mayor Grundy
Richard Dreyfuss	...	The Writer

Storyline

It's the summer of 1959 in Castlerock, Oregon and four 12 year-old boys - Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern - are fast friends. After learning of the general location of the body of a local boy who has been missing for several days, they set off into woods to see it. Along the way, they learn about themselves, the meaning of friendship and the need to stand up for what is right.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | walking on train tracks | summertime | treehouse | woods | 

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Taglines:

For some, it's the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life. But for everyone, it's the time that memories are made of.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Body

Filming Locations:

419 N Main St, Brownsville, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$242,795, 10 August 1986

Gross USA:

$52,287,414

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$52,287,414

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Act III, Act III Communications

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An unconfirmed explanation of why the setting was changed from Maine to Oregon is that one of the screenwriters misunderstood the novella's reference to "Portland" being nearby.

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Goofs

When Gordie is running from Chopper through the junkyard he runs past the same truck and trailer twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Writer: [voiceover] I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being. It happened in the summer of 1959-a long time ago, but only if you measure in terms of years. I was living in a small town in Oregon called Castle Rock. There were only twelve hundred and eighty-one people. But to me, it was the whole world.

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Crazy Credits

As the end credits begin, we see Gordie's son and his friend playing on his front yard on their way to a swimming pool.

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Alternate Versions

In the edited for TV version, Lardass Hogan's name is shortened to Lard for obvious reasons. The editing is very obvious when the crowd starts chanting his name and the film looks and sounds very choppy as a result.

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Connections

Spoofed in Bob's Burgers: Stand by Gene (2016)

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Soundtracks

Let the Good Times Roll
Written by Shirley Goodman and Leonard Lee
Performed by Shirley Goodman (as Shirley) and Leonard Lee (as Lee)
Published by Atlantic Music Corp. / CBS Unart Catalog, Inc.
Courtesy of EMI America Records

User Reviews

HELLO? if you've never seen this movie, man you're missin OUT!

I am 14 years old, and I absolutely love this movie. But don't let my age fool you. I'm not just going to sit here and talk about how hott River Pheonix was.

This movie is well rounded in my perspective. Everyone can relate to at least one of the boys in it at one time in their life. The actors are matched perfectly with who their character portrays.Corey Feldman's character Teddy is the boy who's sensitive about his dad, but tries to hide it, Jerry O' Connell's character Vern is the chubby, wussy kid, but still part of the club, Wil Wheaton's character Gordie is the sweet, intelligent friend who tells stories to the other boys and is ignored by his parents, and River Phoenix's character Chris is the boy in the neighborhood that's been labeled a bad kid and feels he'll never get out of their town, the peacemaker, and Gordie's best friend.

This movie just sucks you in as soon as you start watching it. It's not overly mushy and sad, but it's not so tough that only a sixteen year old boy could stand it. You feel for each character, no matter how mean or nice they are. My personal favorite is Chris Chambers, which i know this will probably drive you guys nuts that almost every other person does too, but River Phoenix is just so touching. The campfire scene is great, the milk money seen is great, and one of my favorites is the train scene. You can definitely see the terror in their faces. It's funny that they all act so tough, except maybe Vern, although he tries, and they still like talking about goofy and dancing and singing along to Lollipop. You also just want to be there with them. Feel that kind of friendship that so many people long for. It's such a feel good movie, but not in the sense of a 10 year old's feel good movie. It makes you feel complete when you watch it. It's not jam packed with action sequences or it doesn't have fluffy pink bunnies hopping around in it either. It's just one of a kind. Definitely worth my time and yours.

The newest DVD of Stand By Me (Special Edition) has Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand By Me where all the main actors,except River, and Rob Reiner are interviewed. They also talk about working with River Phoenix. There's also the Stand By Me music video with River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, and obviously Ben E. King. Not to mention an extra CD with some awesome oldie's songs like Everyday, Lollipop, Stand By Me, and Mr. Lee.