Recently, American filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner was tragically murdered. While his name alone may not draw up much recognition, his movies definitely do. From When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride to my personal favorite, A Few Good Men, Reiner has directed some of the most quintessential films of the 20th century, and I feel fortunate to have watched them.
I had not gotten around to one of his most iconic titles, Stand By Me, until flying to Santa Fe over winter break. Plane movies usually come in the form of rewatching something in case I fall asleep, but this one stuck with me and now holds the same level of iconic-ness that Reiner’s other films do.
Stand By Me, based on The Body, a novella by Stephen King, tells the story of four young boys and their adventure to find the dead body of one of their classmates. That’s strangely it, as far as the plot goes; most of the film is just our leads walking, teasing each other, figuring out directions, or, most importantly, talking about their feelings.
The good elements of Stand By Me are all pretty standard, so I won’t dwell on them too much. The child acting is great; there’s a reason all of them were famous at the time or became famous later. The cinematography is gorgeous, with a bright forest and picturesque scenery. Lastly, the dialogue is all very strong.
However, the real reason I wanted to write about Stand By Me is that this film is the perfect formula for a genre: the coming-of-age tale. Around this time, you had stories like The Outsiders and The Breakfast Club, and while this came later, I think this one hits a little differently (and honestly, stronger) for a few reasons.
Firstly, there’s a lot of complex character development to make the story feel a little more grand. Gordie (played by a young Wil Wheaton) is the only character who narrates and is shown in flashbacks. But just from the way the other boys are dressed, and how they talk and act, the audience knows everything they need to know. Even the bleach-blonde bully Ace (played by Kiefer Sutherland), who wears Hawaiian shirts and speaks like every stereotypical bully of the era, comes off very cool and fleshed out.
The most important element of a great coming-of-age story is a restricted time frame. What makes movies in this genre, such as Aftersun and The Breakfast Club, work so well is that they have major changes happening over a small period of time. Stand By Me takes place over two whole days, which on paper doesn’t sound effective, but that’s a lot of time spent with just your friends and nothing but each other’s company to keep you going. There’s bound to be drama and deep conversations.
What kills me most, and what makes this film one of the greats, is its ending. All of the characters go off on their separate ways, one by one, with Gordie’s narration explaining what happened to them and how their friendship faded. It then cuts to Gordie as an adult, a father now and likely different from his own, writing about how he’s never had friends the way he did when he was 12.
While I never ventured on the same journey these boys went on, I can definitely cite specific experiences and memories that shaped who I am today. They’re typically a mix of a little sad, a little happy, a little nostalgic, and full of contemplation. Even though my stories are unique and different from others, it’s reassuring knowing that everyone has moments like these that helped their maturing into adulthood.
Long story short, Stand By Me is one of the greatest films of all time, definitely one of Reiner’s best, and a perfect example of a coming-of-age story.
Rest in peace, Rob Reiner, you’ve made an untouchable masterpiece!
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