Wil Wheaton Week: Stand by Me

Welcome back readers for Day 2 of Wil Wheaton Week and of course we will speak about a film that captured our imagination and hearts and caused a lot of young boys to swear.  No seriously the Christian Moralition actually got into the MPPA’s butt about the vulgar language mouthed by these youths.   Yes it is a bit sad and pathetic but it happened dammit.   So let us venture with 4 young boys who are in search of adventure, discovery of self and even a dead body.   This is Stand by Me.

 

Beats doing a film with Dennis Miller!

The Writer: Now he said, “Sic’em boy!” But what I heard was, “Chopper! Sic spoilers!”

From the fevered and demented mind of Stephen King and brought to life on the screen via director Rob Reiner (This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men and The American President) gives us the tale of four boys in Castle Rock Oregon during the Labor Day weekend in the far away time of 1959.  The gang consists of Gordie (Wil Wheaton of EverQuest II, Rainbow Six: Lockdown, Grand Theft Auto IV, Ben 10: Alien Force, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Fallout: New Vegas) who is a clumsy bookworm with a pension for telling and writing stories who is constantly ignored by his father who put Gordie’s brother Denny (John Cusack of Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer, Say Anything, Grosse Pointe Blank, The Thin Red Line, Must Love Dogs and 1408) the football jock that died in an accident and truly connected best with Gordie than anyone else.  Gordie's best friend Chris (River Phoenix of Explorers, The Mosquito Coast, Little Nikita and Sneakers) whose entire family consists of thugs, thieves and general criminals and is tired of being lumped in with them or even labeled the same as.  Teddy (Corey Feldman of Gremlins, Lost Boys, License to Drive, Voodoo and Bordello of Blood) a squirrelly kid that is mentally and physically scarred by his father who had to be institutionalized and lastly Vern (Jerry O’ Connell of Sliders, Scream 2, Mission to Mars, Las Vegas, Crossing Jordan Do Not Disturb and Piranha 3D) a slightly overweight kid that ends up the butt of many jokes. 

Wait, I'm gonna be buff and marry a supermodel? Whatever future boy!

Hanging out in their tree house Vern tells his buddies about his older brother and buddy talking about dumping a stolen car and stumbling on the body of a missing boy that was in the papers.  The four of them get the bright idea to hike out, find the boy Ray’s body and become local heroes.

I could totally play Indiana Jones!

Lying to their collective parents about going out to camp; our stalwart foursome follows the train tracks to where Ray would be lying.  Taking a short cut through the junkyard the lads find the steadfast protector dog that is the fear of all boys this age as he is known to go for the balls and we ain’t talking tennis or baseballs. 

A few notes on this particular movie now if you will.   From the soul bearing throughout this film to the amazing performances in such young actors you could almost feel the camaraderie in the group.   They are typical boys growing up trying to figure out what to do with their lives, where they go from here and what is waiting for them later on.

Now I am sure the nitpickers that have reviewed this film prior want to point out the flubs or goofs like seeing 1980s cars in the background in and around the junkyard or seeing Topps baseball cards before they were created but you know what?  This is a great, clever film and I really don’t give enough of a crap over minor mess ups.

I DIDN'T GET MONSTER SQUAD!!!!!!