I didn’t have a clear plan
when setting out to write the reviews for the Movies of my Childhood. I didn’t
know what order I’d watch the films in, or the order I would write the reviews
either. But from the very beginning I did know I would watch and write about
one very special film, last. That’s because “Stand By Me” is a classic film for
the ages, and captures the freedom of childhood and ultimately, the loss of
innocence, better than any other film ever made, I believe. It proudly sits in
the list of most favourite movies for many people around the world. It’s a film
everyone can connect with, and seems to have a connection to. It’s one of those
rare movies that stays with you long after the end credits have rolled, and
earns a place in your heart.
Based on the short story
by Stephen King simply called, “The Body”, the core of the story is about four
friends who set out on something of an adventure one weekend, and return,
changed. Under somewhat morbid but ultimately life affirming circumstances they
go in search of a dead body, and learn a thing or two about life, and each
other, along the way. The film’s themes are never thrown at you in an obvious
or showy way; Stand By Me exudes it’s ideas from the screen in a subtle but
powerful way. It speaks to you silently, bridging the gap between you and it’s
story, and drawing you in from the very beginning. Watching it is like
revisiting your own childhood, and it can conjure up memories of where you
were, and what happened when you knew your childhood ended, and life would
never be the same. After it’s finished, you feel better for having watched it, as
it rewards you in multiple ways.
I remember watching this
film as a child, and finding enjoyment in it’s funnier moments. Just the way
the boys spoke to each other; giving one another crap and swearing. They had
attitude and were well drawn-out characters. When you’re twelve, your best
mates are your whole world, and the friendship between the boys on screen here
is what makes the film so memorable. The way they support each other is a
testament to their character, and their bond. Four twelve year olds brought together by the fact they all
live in the same town, however each of them is quite different, and would
certainly grow to become very different adults. But there’s something that
connects them in their pre-adolescent days that is both unspoken, and very
deep. Over the course of a single weekend, as they walk cross country to find
the dead kid, they will start to shed their layers, but through it all, be
there for each other in their lowest lows and highest highs in every place they
go and every face they show. That was the impression the film left on me when I
was younger, and that impression has stayed, and evolved.
In more recent years, I’ve
viewed the film through a very different lens. That viewpoint being a fond
sense of nostalgia. As it opens, we meet a man, who recalls the time in his
life when he first saw a dead body. Played brilliantly by Richard Dreyfuss, who
spends more time narrating the film than appearing on screen, he embodies the
soul of a man who has had to grow up and become an adult, but still very much
lives in his own past. There’s a beautiful shot early on in the film, where
he’s parked in his car on the side of a country road. On the seat beside him is
a newspaper, with a story about a lawyer called Chris Chambers who was murdered.
The man in the car sits in sadness, staring out his window. As he does two kids
ride past on their bikes and snap him out of his daze. He, and we, watch them
continue to ride down the lonely country road, towards an endless landscape of
mountains and trees, where they will disappear into the wilderness and
experience the freedom and exploration you can only truly live when you’re a
kid on your bike and have all the time in the world. The start of Stand By Me
perfectly captures what it's like to be an adult, when you look back on your
childhood. You can only remember bits and pieces of it, and view your own
history like a movie; fragmented scenes that connect, but are never whole, and
rely on your focus and attention to make sense of it all.
From this moment, you're
transported back to where it all began.
It’s the summer of 1959,
and little Gordy heads to a secret treehouse to meet up with his pals, Chris
and Teddy. They are playing cards and smoking when Gordy arrives, and the three
talk crap to pass the endless time at their disposal. A knock comes from the
door below, and it’s the fourth culprit of the gang, Vern. He has run there,
short of breath, and tries to tell the guys something amazing. When he composes
himself, he asks the boys “You guys wanna go see a dead body?”. The three of
them fall silent, and listen in as Vern spills the details about a boy their
age who went hiking, and hadn’t been seen in days. Vern’s older brother had
discovered him along side the train tracks. The boys decide they will go and
see the body for themselves, initially hoping it will make them heroes, and
maybe even get their face in the newspaper.
They start to walk the
twenty miles or so, following the train tracks the whole way. Step by step, and
the further they go, the boys start to shed their layers and we get to learn
more about them. Each of them comes from a dysfunctional family of sorts, and
all carry their own burdens. Gordy (Will Wheaton) lost his older brother Denny,
who was his whole world. Since then, Gordy's parents had forgotten he even
existed. Then there's Teddy (Corey Feldman). One look at him and you know he's
come from a bad family. He speaks of his dad as a war hero, but the fact his
old man abused him is very contrary to the hero Teddy views his father as. Then
there's Vern (Jerry O'Connell); the stupid, fat kid of the group, and more of a
stereotypical character. He's essentially the comic relief for the film and
balances out the interactions between the boys when things get heavy, and will
bring it down a notch with his simplistic outlook on life. Then, at the centre
of this group is Chris (River Phoenix). A misunderstood and under appreciated
kid who is wise beyond his years, and is purely more intelligent and deep than
he appears on the surface. He is the backbone of the group, and knows what to
say and when to say it to either bring his friends down when they're carried
away, or lift them back up when they sink to a depressed low. He and Gordy are
closest, sharing their view points on life, and their own families, and
embodying a friendship that is truer and more genuine than any other friendship
you're likely to see, in this movie or otherwise.
As the four of them walk
deeper into the wilderness, they begin to forget where they came from, that being
the small town of Castle
Rock, Oregon. Their walk signifies thar right of passage we all
go through; leaving behind who you thought you were, to discover who you really
are. Each of these boys will abandon an old part of themselves and bring out a
side they didn't know they could posses. This serves the boys well towards the
end of the film when Vern's older brother and his gang of cronies, led by Ace
(Kieffer Sutherland) also make there way to the location of the dead kid. When
the two groups meet – teenagers and boys – the real men will present
themselves. Like a stand off, the four twelve year olds stand up to six teenagers twice their
size, stating their claim as the finders and keepers of the body of Ray Brower.
It's an intense scene where the young guys keep their integrity intact,even
when their lives are threatened. Of course, we all know they are the victors,
and the bullies leave.
The boys then commence the
long walk back to their home town. Walking through the night in silence, they
return at first light of a new day. The town looks different to them, smaller
almost. They say goodbye, knowing they will see each other when school starts
back at the end of the summer, but rather they are saying goodbye to their
former selves. The four youths they were when they set out on their walk two
days before, are gone. As time goes by, the boys drift apart, and go their
separate ways.
We end with the man we met
at the start of the film, which was Gordy all grown up. He's now a father
himself, and putting the finishing touches on his book. He has just written
about the story of the walk to find the dead kid and stares at his computer
screen, thinking of the perfect way to end his book.
“I never had any friends
later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
Such a powerful line
to end the movie on, and really sums up the whole message of “Stand By Me”.
Around the age of twelve is when you experience friendship in it's purest form.
That's what makes that age of your childhood so special and memorable, and why
Stand By Me is my quintessential childhood movie. And as the end credits roll,
the original song “Stand By Me” plays, which had it's musical sound used as the
score for the film. A perfect ending to a perfect movie.
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