Stand by Me (1986) Brought *NOSTALGIA*! - First Time Watching - Movie Reaction/Review 

RIP, River Phoenix, 1970-1993.

People tend to overlook, the fact that many in this generation were raised by World War 2 veterans with undiagnosed PTSD, It's likely that every one of these kids' fathers suffered in that way

Literally an all star cast: River Phoenix (RIP), Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, John Cusack, Kiefer Sutherland, and Richard Dreyfuss. This is still the BEST adaptation of a Stephen King story, ever. Just a perfect movie. I’m so happy for you guys that you watched it.

One of my favorite movies. The ending of River Phoenix fading away is moving and haunting. RIP

Some of the best child actors who deserved better doing epic work

I love this classic, and it's a great example of how kids back then could interact and actually go out and play, leave the house all day and parents didn't really worry. We had a lot of freedoms back then that kids today just don't.

Keep in mind, we are seeing things through Gordie's eyes. His eyes as a kid and his eyes years later as an adult looking back. So the parents being a bit like Zombies and emotionless speaks to their deep depression but also what Gordie was seeing day after day with them.

I just had a dream about Wil Wheaton last night! I met him when we were both teens. I wrote an article for Bop! magazine. (Those of you that are old enough to remember) It was called "Meetin' Wheaton"!

I hear Kiefer Sutherland was teaching River Phoenix how to play stand by me on guitar while filming the movie. Kiefer Sutherland the main antagonist was only 17 years old in this movie.

This story was based on King's childhood. The story itself is fiction, but the kids were real people; Chris Chambers was King's best friend, and he died just the way the story says he did. When the film was made, King was invited to a screening. When it was over, he had to go out into the hall and cry, it was so spot on. The novella includes (IIRC) three stories by Gordie (one of which is "The Revenge of Lardass Hogan"), all of which were stories King wrote when he was young before he became a professional writer. The novella is widely considered one of the greatest American short stories of the 20th century. (It's included in King's book "Four Seasons". There are four pieces in the book, three of which have been made into films: "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption", "The Body", and "Apt Pupil". The fourth is "The Breathing Method", which is the one that's closes to what most people think of as a Stephen King story. That one is body horror, quite terrifying.)

This movie came out in August of 1986, a few weeks before I started 5th grade. By the time it came out on video (VHS) a few months later, most of the boys in my class were doing the "two for flinching!" shtick. It got bad enough that the teachers had to step in and lecture the class on how it was inappropriate to punch someone twice just because they flinched when you threatened to poke them in the eye. No one was suspended or sent to the principal's office, but we were all apparently smart enough to save future "two for flinchings" for the playground at recess, where no one gave a damn what you did so long as you didn't leave school premises, and didn't get hurt badly enough to need an ambulance.

Cam during the puking scene: PRICELESS!!!

Those memories will still be there 40-50 years later…

As an older guy, I appreciate the opinions of a younger view of a movie that takes place in an era when I was just a boy. You two always have excellent and inciteful comments and your scoring system is usually right on. Great sense and knowledge for dissecting a lot of great movies. Enjoy watching your reactions to movies that I have seen many times. Keep them coming.

Vern did OK. He dated Sidney Presscott in college and married present day Mystique.

Gun safety 101, un-loaded is NOT un-loaded until the chamber is cleared, and the safety is on. (And you're right, keep your finger OFF the trigger until you're ready to fire!

This film really does represent how free we were when we were kids. We would be gone all day as long as we were home when the street lights went out. Our parents really were never worried unless we weren’t home on time.

Childhoods were completely different in those days. I'm a 90's kid myself and I'm so glad I didn't have any computers or smartphones back then. Most of my free time was spent outside with my friends from 9 AM to 9 PM. It was the best time ever.

By the way, at

Two characters to highlight: Denny, portrayed by John Cusack, was used sparingly, but was so well written that the cameo-like screen-time conveyed more information about the relationship dynamics in the home than any expositional dialogue could have. Also, Gordie, portrayed by Wil Wheaton, was powerful, relatable, and authentically believable. Respect to the actor, but certainly a missed opportunity for Star Trek: TNG who squandered this level of talent by not writing stronger narratives showcasing Mr. Wheaton's range, and instead turned "Shut up, Wesley!" into a trope.