There's a certain irony that one of the most mature films to come from the pen of Stephen King is the one based on a group of kids in the 1950s. Yet this is far from a children's film, instead it's a thoroughly dark coming-of-age drama that explores what it means to be growing up in a realistically downbeat world, as childhood innocence is abandoned in favour of harsh adult reality.
It's also a cracking "gang of kids" drama, stylistically similar to the likes of THE GOONIES and THE MONSTER SQUAD and even sharing some of the same cast members, albeit with a much more realistic theme. The film is set in 1950s Maine on a hot summer day, where a gang of lads decide to track down the body of a boy hit by a train in return for a reward.
In reality it's an excuse for lots of adventures with trains, leeches, and junkyard owners, as well as a nasty antagonist played with gleeful relish by Kiefer Sutherland. There's plenty of crudity here alongside that infamous gross-out pie eating contest, but it's surprisingly mature too with deep characters and genuine performances. River Phoenix is the one who really shines (RIP), but Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell really nail it too. Perhaps the wraparound scenes with Richard Dreyfuss are a little too sentimental, but it's not enough to detract from STAND BY ME being a minor classic of the decade. Great soundtrack too.
It's also a cracking "gang of kids" drama, stylistically similar to the likes of THE GOONIES and THE MONSTER SQUAD and even sharing some of the same cast members, albeit with a much more realistic theme. The film is set in 1950s Maine on a hot summer day, where a gang of lads decide to track down the body of a boy hit by a train in return for a reward.
In reality it's an excuse for lots of adventures with trains, leeches, and junkyard owners, as well as a nasty antagonist played with gleeful relish by Kiefer Sutherland. There's plenty of crudity here alongside that infamous gross-out pie eating contest, but it's surprisingly mature too with deep characters and genuine performances. River Phoenix is the one who really shines (RIP), but Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell really nail it too. Perhaps the wraparound scenes with Richard Dreyfuss are a little too sentimental, but it's not enough to detract from STAND BY ME being a minor classic of the decade. Great soundtrack too.