I'll always say it, but Stephen King's no-horror stories are consistently far better than his horror. This is a shining example of a great story with a great script, that doesn't have an ounce of traditional horror in it. King knows how to write real people, very well. This will always be one of my favourites, it is lacking in a few places, but it is so succinct in others that you can't really complain. It manages to get a harrowing, enjoyable, simple and beautiful story into 90 mins and is riveting to watch. No other movie has captured the essence of being twelve so well. Forget the Goonies or Home Alone or any of that other stuff, this is a kids movie and an adults movie at the same time. It taps into how you miss being twelve, even when your thirteen! The characters are seen at a time just before they lose all innocence; before women come into there lives and change everything. This is a movie that always brings a smile to your face and can be watched time and time again.
Review of Stand by Me
Stand by Me
(1986)
The definitive movie for describing life through a twelve year olds eyes.
3 March 2001