Stand By Me

So I just watched Stand By Me.

I'm not going to lie, that was one of the better films I've seen in a while. Who knew all you needed to make a great movie is a cast of flawed yet likable characters, a unique but believable premise, an intrinsic understanding of the dynamics of friendship, and a killer soundtrack. In all seriousness though this movie strikes all the right chords. I'm not usually fond of coming of age stories. Often times the protagonist is too perfect, or the adults too evil. Sometimes the plots are too specific or too vague to resonate. And far too often the movie's dialogue is clearly written by an adult who hasn't heard a child speak in 20 years.

But Stand By Me is just the right amount of relatable. The kids were kids. They were foul mouthed and ill tempered and all the other terrible things that kids are when their parents aren't around. And that's fantastic because nothing is more boring than child Jesus a la Bridge to Terabithia, Odd Life of Timothy Green, Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, etc.. The dynamic between the boys reflects the natural way that even in a tightly knit group some friendships are tighter than others.

I also noticed during the credits that it was based on a story by Stephen King. I always find that Stephen King is at his best when he escapes his own tropes. Luckily this movie didn't have any of his staples like psychic kids, poorly explained or dumb monsters, and no bizarre incestuous or underage sex. I feel like Stephen King adaptations usually work best as a framework with the actual guts of the story changed to better fit the medium of film.

I could keep going, but I don't want to step into spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it. Just know that it has a solid recommendation from me and I give Stand By Me 45 out of 49 blueberry pies.