"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

Just like the film itself, I'm keeping this review short and sweet. Not the first adolescent- centered coming of age drama I’ve seen, and far from my favorite. Stand By Me fails to stand tall when compared to other related gems like The Outsiders, Kids, Rumble Fish, City of God, The Last Picture Show, Boyz in the Hood and many more. I think this is sadly another movie that was too hyped for me going in, and would've been better received if I had seen it in my youth, like maybe Middle or High School. I never ready got invested or interested in the story. I didn’t find it that edgy or captivating. The writing was fine and the performances were good. I've just seen this movie too many times before. The most interesting thing for me was seeing where contemporary TV series like Family Guy and Stranger Things made references to. It was also cool where various sayings and taunts from my own childhood had originated from. I guess some of my other friends from my childhood had seen this movie. I think i should mention I've never been a Rob Reiner guy. He makes good films, but none stick for me. Despite its brief runtime of less than 90 minutes, I was ready for it to be over by the end. It's perhaps a must see for anyone under the age of 18, but not for a cinephile like myself who has become all too familiar this genre after so many years delving into cinema of the same vein. It's a good movie, but not a Ricky Nixx movie, even if it should be. 

 

Director: Rob Reiner 

Writers: Stephen King (novel), Raynold Gideon (screenplay)

Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman