I am as many are, a huge fan of Stephen's King Works. I have also been a fan of many of the films made from his books. Some I am not a fan of. I have not read as of yet and I'm sure I will, The Body. I have seen Stand By Me several times and I am conflicted in many of the great portions of this film and the ideas behind the movie vs the fact that it just doesn't sit with me as entertaining.
Stand By Me is considered perhaps one of the forefront coming of age films and for good reason. It's the story of four best friends set in the fifties/sixties told through the eyes of the Gordie Lachance who has lost his role model best friend older brother to an accident. Haunted by the loss of his brother and the fact that everyone seems to have only cared about his older brother including his parents, he is compelled to encourage his group of friends to go on a trek across the county to find the dead body of a missing boy. Unfortunately the "bad kids" and "bullies" in town also discover that this body is nearby and they race to find it first. During their trek they discover more about each other, and they stand together to overcome their fears about their own lives.
I do whole heartedly agree in the pure heart of this film, the coming of age, the different personalities of each boy in the film. It does aim to find a little something of everyone in each boy and it accomplishes that. The cast, especially for young actors is very good. Wil Wheaton as the lead character appears to be weaker than his best friend played by the late River Phoenix but in the end he is really who holds them altogether and overcomes the most of all of them. River Phoenix ironically plays the "bad boy" best friend who seems to have very little future but has taken Wheaton's character under his wing and encourages him to make something of himself. Corey Feldman fills in his usual role adequately. Jerry O'Connell as the made fun of "fat kid" also plays his role well. Keifer Sutherland who can't help but look like a jerk and an evil fiend also plays well. The cast is basically The Brat Pack and yet for an eighties film it's quite darker than most Brat Pack films. Wholely realistic is the kids' views on life, their fascination with death, cigarettes, adult things, and their adult language. Their trying to be as grown up as possible without any real adult role models.
My issue is that the film just doesn't hit me. It never satisfies me or entertains me. I find it entirely too short, very, very, predictable and without any real depth of plot. I know everyone sees this film as a classic and certainly it has it's strong points as I outlined but overall it just falls short for me. The soundtrack, and I absolutely love these songs feels forced like Reiner is trying to force the feeling of the era on us rather than create it all around them. In this case I don't expect anyone to believe my opinion because I am sorely outnumbered but I don't care for this film much at all.
5/10
Stand By Me is considered perhaps one of the forefront coming of age films and for good reason. It's the story of four best friends set in the fifties/sixties told through the eyes of the Gordie Lachance who has lost his role model best friend older brother to an accident. Haunted by the loss of his brother and the fact that everyone seems to have only cared about his older brother including his parents, he is compelled to encourage his group of friends to go on a trek across the county to find the dead body of a missing boy. Unfortunately the "bad kids" and "bullies" in town also discover that this body is nearby and they race to find it first. During their trek they discover more about each other, and they stand together to overcome their fears about their own lives.
I do whole heartedly agree in the pure heart of this film, the coming of age, the different personalities of each boy in the film. It does aim to find a little something of everyone in each boy and it accomplishes that. The cast, especially for young actors is very good. Wil Wheaton as the lead character appears to be weaker than his best friend played by the late River Phoenix but in the end he is really who holds them altogether and overcomes the most of all of them. River Phoenix ironically plays the "bad boy" best friend who seems to have very little future but has taken Wheaton's character under his wing and encourages him to make something of himself. Corey Feldman fills in his usual role adequately. Jerry O'Connell as the made fun of "fat kid" also plays his role well. Keifer Sutherland who can't help but look like a jerk and an evil fiend also plays well. The cast is basically The Brat Pack and yet for an eighties film it's quite darker than most Brat Pack films. Wholely realistic is the kids' views on life, their fascination with death, cigarettes, adult things, and their adult language. Their trying to be as grown up as possible without any real adult role models.
My issue is that the film just doesn't hit me. It never satisfies me or entertains me. I find it entirely too short, very, very, predictable and without any real depth of plot. I know everyone sees this film as a classic and certainly it has it's strong points as I outlined but overall it just falls short for me. The soundtrack, and I absolutely love these songs feels forced like Reiner is trying to force the feeling of the era on us rather than create it all around them. In this case I don't expect anyone to believe my opinion because I am sorely outnumbered but I don't care for this film much at all.
5/10