Stand By Me

Stand By Me

I watched the movie Stand By Me at some point as a child. I’m not sure when. The movie was like a faint memory in my mind. I thought that it might’ve had a narrator and I remembered a train, and them jumping in some water and coming out with leeches on them. That’s all I could remember from when I saw it circa 1993. And, honestly, having just watched it again, I think those will be the only memories I’ll carry forward(it IS narrated btw). And not because of anything, necessarily, to do with the movie. Simply that I think the movie loses a lot of it’s punch when it’s not viewed in the time that it was made. It’s impossible not to compare it to movies and TV that came after it and, frankly, did it better; even if they were descendants of it.

Right off the top; It could’ve been the worse movie ever made and the mere invocation of Ben E. King’s classic song from the 60s would’ve earned it a spot in my heart. 

Stand By Me is not a kids show. Watching it as a 34-year-old, it’s clear that the movie was made at a time when people spent more time worrying about the art than the ‘target audience.’ Obviously, the movie has an appeal to a friendship that is unique to men. It is the world I grew up in, even if it was the early 90s, and not the 50s as the film presents.  Leaving the house and coming back…whenever, dirt streets,  smoking cigarettes in tree houses, 2 for flinching, the sound of cicadas and coyotes in the night, chewin the fat with your friends until there’s nothing left. These are all relatable for those growing up in rural America. The movie produces beautiful imagery of a world we never see anymore in films. Whether good or bad, the exploration of small town life as anything more than a factory for murderers and racists has gone away.

Side Note: There’s an interesting tendency to equate small towns with ‘old’ in cinema. It’s almost as if movie makers only think to visit them if the story is pre-1980. It’s like they believe that small towns simply went away, when the truth is, most of the small towns that have ever existed still do, and may even be smaller(which, I guess, may be why we don’t see them anymore). 

As far as the plot goes, it’s simple and effective. It’s an adventure be-fitting 4 twelve year olds. But the movie is not about what the kids do, it’s about who they are. And that’s where I get to one of my only issues with the film. As mentioned before, it is not a kids’ movie. Not only is the movie about 4 12-year-old friends, it’s about 4 traumatized 12-year-olds; a “Band of misfits” if you will. And, while Rob Riener does a good job conveying the tragedy that these kids have experienced, he does it in a way that makes them less believable as 12 year olds. 

Perhaps I am more sensitive to it now, as a product of the current times, but I become somewhat removed when I hear obvious adult words coming out of the mouths of children. It is not to say that kids don’t often parrot the words and feelings that come from the adults in their lives, because they obviously do, but there is a difference between a kid repeating something his dad said at dinner and having an in depth conversation with a fellow 12 year old about life, and their station in it, based on information they couldn’t possibly possess at that age. 12 year olds (and frankly, most under the age of 30) are incapable of the type of introspection that you find in the dialogue between the characters in the film; particularly between Gordie and Chris, which is the main focus of the movie. And the latter of which makes the whole movie. 

The character of Chris Chambers is a great character filled with depth and meaning. While the audience may expect a kid like this to be bitter and calloused having come from the family he does, he is a character filled with unexpected compassion and wisdom. River Phoenix’s acting job in this movie is what holds the whole thing together. The gulf between his acting talent and the other 3 boys is both a blessing and a curse for the film. Not only does he shine, but he also highlights the inexperience of his co-stars. The thought had crossed my mind that it may have been better to have 4 boys of equal talent to level the playing field and keep the focus on the story. However, aside from the fact that it would be nearly impossible to find 4 actors of any age with the same talent, the idea that it would come at the expense of River’s performance(which it would) is simply unacceptable. 

Obviously, Stand By Me is a classic. As far as I can tell, from 1986, it is one of the first (Christmas Story did it in 1983) to popularize the framework of the narrated coming-of-age format that we’ve seen a million times since in television and movies.  The plot is simple and, therefore, there aren’t many holes to be found. But, as to be expected with a movie like this, it’s the characters that make it worthwhile. It is for that reason that removes the movie from the ‘family film’ category. Aside from the language and adult themes, there simply isn’t enough there to keep a 12-year old engaged. Which, re-watching it at age 34, is probably why my childhood memories of the movie where that it was boring.  It takes an adult to truly appreciate the characters, the imagery, and the acting performances. 

IMHO: Stand By Me could be viewed as a trailblazer in the genre of movie that it was. But just as so many other things in life pan out, the first does not necessarily the best. The film’s twin cousin (and could be argued to be a blatant rip-off) Sandlot does all of the things that Stand By Me does, does them better, and broadens the audience. In fact, the movies are so similar that, to a non-movie fan who’d seen them both as children, they may confuse the two and no one could really blame them. The Sandlot is one of my all-time favorite films and a better film for a lot of reasons. But if someone were to tell me that the creator, David Mickey Evans, called up Rob Reiner and said “I want to re-make your movie” and somehow got the green light, I’d have no trouble believing it. From the format, to the setting, to the characters(particularly the fat friend), to the barfing, to the over-hyped dog, to the overall beats of the films, The Sandlot does seem to cross the line of ‘Homage’ and to step squarely in the realm of ‘Duplication’. It makes no difference to me, The Sandlot could have sweatshops in China and I’d still love it. My advice; watch them both…or just The Sandlot. ☺