Stand By Me

Stand By Me

1986

Director: Rob Reiner

Writer: Stephen King, Raynold Gideon, and Bruce A. Evans

89 minutes

Ray Brower went missing outside the town of Castle Rock. His body was discovered after an anonymous phone call and picked up later that afternoon.

His story was simple. He was a kid who took a walk and was hit by a train, though the story of the anonymous phone call seemed to be more interesting.

Four friends, two nights, and one on-coming train make up the story of Stand By Me.

After Vern (Jerry O’Connell) hears about his older brother finding the body of Ray Brower, he tells his friends Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), and Teddy (Corey Feldman) about it.

Immediately, they plan out their adventure.

Gordie is our main character. After his brother was killed in a car accident, his family hadn’t picked up the pieces and Gordie was left to defend for himself. The death was a sense of pain and unresolved issues with both his parents and himself.

Thus, Gordie sets off for the back Carlow road to find the body of Ray Brower.

The adventure was filled with winding railroad tracks, deep leach-infested ponds, and a rival gang seeking the same attention. But underneath it all, there is a sense of growth and maturity these boys gain; a realistic look at the world around them without the security of their family or small town.

Seeing that body crossed those boys into adulthood, like most coming-of-age movies accomplish. That body was the catalyst to the rest of their lives.

In the scene above, they have found the body of Ray Brower.

“The train had knocked Ray Brower out of his Keds the same way it had knocked the life out of his body.”

But when Gordie sees the body, he freezes. His emotional journey started with his brother’s death and until now, he has remained relativity unemotional to those events. Until now. He sees the lifeless body of Ray Brower and all he can think of is his brother.

He breaks down.

Chris, the leader, comforts him. He explains, like a brother, that Gordie is going to be okay. That's all Chris had to say. Gordie was going to be okay.

It works that way because this movie isn’t about the death of Ray Brower. It’s about friendship. It’s about an adventure. It’s about the journey between brothers. And sometimes, those are the only brothers you have left.

After the rival gang shows, they decide no one should take the body. And they decide to make an anonymous phone call.

They make it back to Castle Rock before Labor Day. What seemed like an innocent trip meant something more; before adolescence, before chasing girls, and before realizing how important friendship is. This was their last adventure that summer and what seemed like their last adventure before the rest of their lives.

“It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of our lives, like busboys in a restaurant,” the Writer (Richard Dreyfuss) says.

In the end, this story is about remembering the adventures we took and the people involved. Even the Writer says he lost touch with Chris, but he knows he’ll miss him.

It's the truth.

Part of adulthood is realizing the friends that made the impact. The friends that made the difference.

In Gordie's case, it was Chris, Vern, Teddy, and the body of Ray Brower.