Stand By Me (1986)

USA 88m, Colour
Director: Rob Reiner; Cast: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell

Stand By Me is one of a handful of movies starring children who play believable and interesting characters. Set in the late 1950s, this is a coming-of-age “road movie” about four dysfunctional kids who set out on a two-day hike to find the body of a dead boy who’s gone missing. By the time they reach their destination they realize that their journey, and the finding of the body, wasn’t as cool as they had imagined it to be. A simple plot with a lot of character depth and fine performances by the youthful cast that is both nostalgic and thoughtful (Klaus Ming March 2009).