Stand by Me: A Review

"If I can only have one food for the rest of my life? That's easy. Pez. Cherry-flavored Pez. No question about it."

It was a line that summed up Stand By Me, the 1986 Rob Reiner film that was based on Stephen King's The Body. A simple line delivered by a fat kid - Jerry O'Connell. That single line, while having no tangible point in the movie whatsoever, helped define the underlying theme of Stand By Me.

The movie details the journey four 12-year-old friends take in search of a dead boy. Most of the personality traits of each boy comes out clearly somewhere in the movie: Gordie's lack of a relationship with his father following the death of Gordie's older brother, a star athlete; Chris's struggle for an identity that won't match the one his no-good brother has already established for him; Teddy's tough outer shell that protects him from a drunken father and all those who want to tear him down; and Vern, who waltzes through life with little help from directions.

A highlight of the movie is Gordie's story-telling, a talent that was encouraged by his older brother when he was still alive. Gordie keeps his friends on the edges of their seats with a rambling story about a fat kid in a pie-eating contest.

There are a number of trials as the boys search for the body. There's the rival gang, headed by Ace (Keifer Sutherland) who wants to gain the credit for finding the boy's body first. And, they're willing to do most anything to beat the younger group to it. There's the junkyard dog - Chopper - who doesn't quite measure up to the boys' imaginations. There's the moral struggle within the boys - especially Gordie - about whether the end of the journey justifies its means.

The boys endure leaches while wading through a body of water, Teddy's early train dodge, a race against time and a train and the ultimate challenge of being the first to discover the missing boy's body.

The movie gives a beautiful balance between action and clips of four almost-teens talking about things 12-year-old boys talk about. The movie is narrated by the adult Gordie, voiced by Richard Dreyfuss.