Stand By Me (1986)

“Stand By Me” is a compelling coming-of-age drama with solid performances and splendid cinematography. I’d recommend watching it, but if you’re looking for an uplifting film to make you feel better about the future, this probably isn’t the movie for you.

The performances in “Stand By Me” are all great, the child actors feel like real kids on screen, whilst the adults bring a more complex side to the movie. From Wil “SHUT UP WESLEY!” Wheaton to Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell, every actor effectively captures the complex emotions of their characters.

But undoubtedly the best performance in “Stand By Me” came from River Phoenix, who excellently balances the different layers of his character, the vulnerable child and the swaggering tough-guy. The loss of childhood innocence is the main theme of “Stand By Me”, which is best represented by the arc of Phoenix’s character. It may be more powerful with hindsight, as Phoenix died seven years after the film’s release, but he is truly exceptional here.

The cinematography in “Stand By Me” is fantastic, both in its depiction of stunning vistas and the more intense character moments. The camera always highlights how the characters are feeling during each scene, which helps the audience relate to the journey that the four friends go on.

The filmmakers did a superb job of capturing the feel of the 1950s on screen without letting the glossy trappings of the era get in the way of the emotional story. Aside from the soundtrack and the vehicles, “Stand By Me” could be set in any modern time period, which helps ground the tale in reality, thus helping the audience relate to the protagonists.

However, the main reason I’ve decided to award “Stand By Me” 3 stars, rather than 4, is that it’s not an enjoyable watch on any level. The characters are constantly shouting and swearing at each other, which detracts from their more likeable traits. Richard Dreyfuss’s narration ceaselessly beats you over the head with how dismal being an adult is, and that as soon as you become a teenager, you’re entire life is basically on a downward spiral. As I’m not the world’s most optimistic person, I don’t exactly relish wallowing in all this misery, especially when the world is currently in the state that it’s in.

To summarise, “Stand By Me” is a good film that sadly isn’t for me. It’s a very well-crafted movie that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, but I personally found it an incredibly depressing film to experience.