Review of the Film "stand by Me"

Review of the film "Stand By Me"

Michael Tacconi

3/28/2016

Hum/150 Dr. Evans

Stand By Me, is a coming-of-age story based off of the Stephen King short story entitled "The

 Body." The film could be categorized as a drama, adventure or comedy depending on which scene you

are watching. I'm gonna label it an adventure, to me an adventure should be packed with a little bit of

everything. Stand By Me takes place in the 1950's in rural Oregon. Four friends Gordy (Wil Wheaton),

Chris(River Phoenix), Teddy(Corey Feldman) and Vern(Jerry O'Connell) embark n a treachorous hike to

discover the body of a local boy who is presumed dead. During their trip they have to scramble for food,

dodge trains, avoid local bullies, remove leeches and protect equipment from aterrifying dog named

Chopper.Throughout their adventure the best buds also come to grips with issues in their personal lives

There were many techniques used to help tell the story for Stand By Me. First off, most scenes

involve all four of the main characters. This made me feel the togetherness of their group and showed

how much of a bond they really had with each other. The sound was great, particularly the soundtrack.

The oldies helped place you in the 50's, as well as the jargon used by the characters. The setting for

most of the film was outdoors and most the time along the train tracks they were following. A lot of

wide camera shots and angles were used to give the viewer a better idea of their surroundings and the

tremendous journey they were facing. One scene stands out to me the most. The gang was crossing a

tall railroad bridge and a train was heard bearing down on them. The wide angle shot displayed the boys

running for their lives with the train bearing down on them.

The theme of the movie. Socially, was the dysfunctional families that the boys lived with

 daily. Teddy, the son of a WWII veteran, is abused physically by his father, known as a

 "loony" and frequent visitor of Psych wards. Teddy has several scenes in which he displays utter

disregard for his personal safety. Chris, the sort of hero of the story, is from a broken home and