Stand By Me, which remains one ofStephen King’s favorite adaptations of his books, is landing onNetflixin September.Directed by Rob Reiner,Stand by Meisbased on Stephen King’s novella,The Body. Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, the movie features an ensemble cast that includes River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and Wil Wheaton.When it first premiered in 1986,Stand By Meearned unanimous praise from both viewers and criticsacross the world and performed fairly well at the global box office.
Not all movies stand the test of time, butStand By Meremains a beloved classic, celebrated for its heartwarming coming-of-age themes and memorable young characters.Stephen King, too, has often sung praise for the movie, calling it one of his favorite adaptations of his books. WithStand by Mecoming to Netflix in September 2024, audiences have the perfect opportunity to revisit the movie or watch it for the first time if they have not seen it before.
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DID YOU KNOW:Stand by Mewas initially going to get the same title as the original Stephen King novella,The Body, but was named “Stand By Me” because, according to Columbia Studios, “The Body” sounded more like another Stephen King horror adaptation or an adult film.
Stand By Me Comes To Netflix In September – What The Movie Is About & How It Compares To Stephen King’s Book
Stand By Me Is Among Stephen King’s Best Non-Horror Adaptations
Stand By Meprimarily revolves around four friends: Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern. During a Labor Day weekend in 1959,all four set out to find the dead body of a missing boy named Ray Brower, who died after a train hit him. During this cathartic adventure, the four friends learn a lot more about friendship, morality, and their individual identities than they had initially anticipated. While unfolding almost entirely as a journey through the eyes of the four young characters,Stand By Mefeatures several memorable quotes, emotional moments, and hard-hitting scenes.
Both the movie and the novel are almost identical when it comes to their narrative structures and character beats, but the film omits some story arcs from the novella.
WhileStand by Meis an incredible film,the original novella is no less compelling. Both the movie and the novel are almost identical when it comes to their narrative structures and character beats, but the film omits some story arcs from the novella. For instance, the scene where the adult version of Gordie recalls spotting a deer on the tracks is not a part of the movie’s narrative. It seems important in the novella because it equips Gordie with the profound wisdom of how “The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.”
What ScreenRant has said aboutStand By Me:
“Stand by Mewas the movie that proved to audiences King was a great writer of more than horror fiction. Based on the novellaThe Body,Stand by Mefollows the quest of four boys as they set out to find a dead body they heard was in the woods. The film blends comedy and drama superbly, capturing the melancholy nature of nostalgia and growing up. The film is arguably Reiner’s best movie, and the young ensemble cast (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell) all give great performances.” -Padraig Cotter,Every Stephen King Movie Ranked, From Worst To Best
Why Stand By Me Is One Of Stephen King’s Favorite Adaptations Of His Books
Stephen King Has Sung Many A Praise For The Movie
Stephen King was reportedly given a private screener forStand By Me. As Rob Reiner recalled (viaThe Chicago Tribune), Stephen King was “pretty broken up” after watching it alone in the screening room. He was so emotionally affected by the film that he had to excuse himself for 15 minutes. When he returned, he told Reiner thatStand by Mewas “the best film ever made out of anything” he had written. King further called the film “autobiographical” because he drew on his own early experiences of losing a best friend when he wroteThe Body.
Here’s Rob Reiner’s full statement:
”We showed the film to Stephen King alone in a screening room, and when it was over he was pretty broken up. He excused himself for about 15 minutes. When he came back he said, ‘That’s the best film ever made out of anything I’ve written, which isn’t saying much. But you’ve really captured my story. It is autobiographical. All that was made up was the device of the hunt for the body. I was the writer,’ King said, ‘and my best friend was the guy who actually did instill the confidence in me to become a writer. And he actually was killed as a young man.'”
Stand By Me True Story: Was It Inspired By Stephen King’s Childhood?
The Stand By Me book, The Body, draws from Stephen King’s real childhood experiences. Here’s the true story behind the Stand By Me source material.
The original Stephen King novella features a scene towards the end where Chris picks up a gun and threatens an older group of boys to leave without taking the body with them. In the movie, this scene plays out similarly. However, instead of Chris, Gordie picks up the gun, which fits the overarching narrative becauseStand By Meis presented as Gordie’s journey. After watching the film, Stephen King appreciated the book change andwondered why he did not have that in the book(viaVariety). If that is not the highest praise for a filmmaker, what is?
Director Adrian Lyne (known forJacob’s Ladder,Flashdance, andFatal Attraction) initially had his eyes set on the Stephen King novella adaptation, but he stepped back due to exhaustion from filming9 1/2 Weeks.
Stand By Me Is One Of The Greatest Coming Of Age Movies Of All Time
The Film Has Aged Incredibly Well
Not everyone has a friend like Gordie, Chris, Teddy, or Vern while growing up, butStand By Mestill manages to instill a sense of nostalgia in every viewerwith its relatable portrayal of the phase between adulthood and childhood. Its character beats and story developments perfectly capture how one slowly grapples with the dark realities and truths of the world while still retaining some childhood innocence during adolescence. AlthoughStand By Meis worlds apart from Stephen King’s horror stories, it has traces of the author’s knack for writing about darker subjects.
Stand By Memanages to stir so many childhood memories for the viewer that, in hindsight, it becomes hard not to recall it as a personal memory.
While Stephen King does an incredible job of capturing the painful uncertainties that come with growing up, Rob Reiner perfectly portrays the King of Horror’s voice with his directorial forte.Stand By Memanages to stir so many childhood memories for the viewer that, in hindsight, it becomes hard not to recall it as a personal memory. With theStephen Kingfilm now arriving onNetflix, audiences can experience the magic ofStand by Meall over again or for the first time.
$52.3 million
92%
94%
Major Awards
Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama Motion Picture and Best Director
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Stand by Me
Stand by Me is a coming-of-age film directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King’s novella The Body. Set in the 1950s, it follows four boys from Oregon—Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy—on a journey to find a deceased boy’s body, confronting personal challenges and deepening their friendships.
