Stand by Me

""If I could only have one food to eat for the rest of my life?" "That's easy. Pez. Cherry flavor Pez. No question about it.""

1986 1h 29m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🍅

89%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 6,781🍅89%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★8.1IMDB · 480,200

DramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

“"If I could only have one food to eat for the rest of my life?" "That's easy. Pez. Cherry flavor Pez. No question about it."”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Wil Wheaton
Gordie Lachance
River Phoenix
Chris Chambers
Corey Feldman
Teddy Duchamp
Jerry O'Connell
Vern Tessio
Kiefer Sutherland
Ace Merrill
Casey Siemaszko
Billy Tessio
Gary Riley
Charlie Hogan
Bradley Gregg
Eyeball Chambers

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rob Reiner, shot by Thomas Del Ruth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jack Nitzsche. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Leighton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix and Corey Feldman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: ""If I could only have one food to eat for the rest of my life?" "That's easy. Pez. Cherry flavor Pez. No question about it."".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rob Reiner directs. Thomas Del Ruth behind the camera. Jack Nitzsche scores. Robert Leighton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Made its money back 6.5× over at the box office.
340 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Rob Reiner, shot by Thomas Del Ruth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jack Nitzsche. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Leighton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix and Corey Feldman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: ""If I could only have one food to eat for the rest of my life?" "That's easy. Pez. Cherry flavor Pez. No question about it."".
9IMDB entry: tt0092005 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 20 themes, including "friendship", "based on novel or book", "leech", "dark comedy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Thomas Del Ruth
Original score: Jack Nitzsche
Editing: Robert Leighton
Production design: J. Dennis Washington
Makeup / hair: Cheri Ruff
Sound: Gregg Rudloff
Stunt coordinator: Rick Barker
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $52,289,686
Return: 654% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Stand by Me (1986)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 480,200 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 6 wins & 12 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Rob Reiner

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Joe2017-07-27
★ 10/10
My all-time favourite movie! Like Gordie, I was a shy, sensitive boy, who was (and am) a writer, and I've been told by so many people I have a talent for it. Also, I've had many friends like Chris, being tough on the outside, while sweet on the inside, and I've known people like Vern, Teddy and Denny too :) Beautiful music, acting and truth about growing up, as relevant today as it was in the 80s/50s :) <3
BornKnight2023-12-07
★ 8/10
Ok everyone - this is a 80's kid about kids, but don't think it is like the others as it is a Stephen King adaptation. It isn't for kids - unless you want to traumatize them. Coming of age at a high price, what makes this a special one on that decade. A solid 8.2 out of 10.0 / A in my score.
Filipe Manuel Neto2024-03-12
★ 9/10
A good film about the value of friendship and companionship. This is one of those films that becomes adorable not only because of what it shows and tells us, but also because of the affective memories it awakens in us, or even because of the messages it brings and which it explains in its narrative. The value of friendships is a more than common theme in cinema, but perhaps this is one of the most paradigmatic and memorable films when the subject is precisely that. Very consistently based on a book by Stephen King, the plot is simple: four young friends get together to find the corpse of a boy who disappeared, and set off on a long journey on foot that will take them through a series of obstacles and difficulties, and that will test the friendship and unity of the group. The matter itself ends up being quite irrelevant, no one cares about the dead boy. What matters is the journey of the four boys and the way they overcome difficulties, forgetting their differences and what eventually separates them. Each of them has their own sad story: broken homes, families with little structure, domestic violence, dramatic family losses (a father, an older brother…). In short, none of them is a boy born with a silver spoon or into a well-positioned family. And the film explores this very well, with inspired dialogue and absolutely believable and well-conceived situations. Rob Reiner is a very effective director who knows very well what he wants. One of the points in which he shined most was in choosing the filming locations, designing the sets and reconstituting the period (the film takes place in the late 1950s, at the height of the post-war “American dream”): the director It really manages to transport us to the past and to magnificently designed and credible places. Another point he valued was the choice of actors for the four main characters. In addition to being a perfect fit in terms of age and physique, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton are very talented and do their best with their characters and their material. Without the effort of these four young people, the film would not have the strength it has. On a technical level, the film stands out for its good cinematography, the sets, costumes and props that I mentioned above, the choice of period cars and an excellent soundtrack, featuring some iconic melodies of the time.