Stand By Me Review

It's probably been over twenty years since I've seen this movie and the same thing bugs me about it now that did then.  He never got the Yankees hat back.  It was a priceless memento for Gordie, stolen by a thug and he never gets it back.  I know that is unbelievably minor but it still bugs me.  Now, on to the review.

This is probably the ultimate coming of age movie.  The story is just fantastic.  That isn't surprising seeing as how the story is written by one of the 20th century's finest writers: Stephen King.  It is one of those stories that makes you feel like you actually have a stake in all of the character's lives.  You laugh and cry with all four of the boys and, if you're like me, you can see a little of yourself in each one.

Some of the acting does come off as a bit forced and cheesy (especially from Jerry O'Connell).  I think that is a combination of the fact that the actors are all kids and haven't perfected their abilities yet and that they were really trying to go for the fifties feel.  I am way too young to know anything much about what life was like for kids back then so I don't know if the melodramatic acting was realistic or not.  Even if it that isn't realistic, it does work in the film because it is actually Gordie's memories that make up the story.  Most of us remember things in our own way and many of us have a tendency to exaggerate the good and the bad in our own experiences.

See it.  It's the perfect length and it is just one of those movies that makes you feel good through the whole thing.