Analysis
Stand by Me is one of the best coming of age films I have seen. The story is about four teenage boys setting out to find a boy that is missing and presumed dead in a small town named CastleRock. They hope that, if they find the boy, they will become famous. The film is about the adventure of the journey, but more importantly it shows how young boys cope with the difficulties of growing up in a small town with little hope for a successful future. The boys were from the same small town, and though each of them had much different personalities and traits they all had somewhat abusive and difficult backgrounds. Gordie is the mature member of the group that likes to write and tell stories, but his father preferred his brother, who is now dead. Vern is overweight and gets picked on, especially by his brother and his friends. Chris comes from a family of alcoholics and criminals, but he is much different from the rest of his family. Teddy is fearless and has emotional issues due to an abusive father.
The boys encounter several obstacles during their journey such as, being caught on a bridge with a train heading towards them, being chased by a dog, walking through a river and getting leeches all over them. After each experience the boys grow closer and start opening up about their fears and also their hopes. One thing for sure is that after each experience they decide they won’t turn back and they start feeling confident that they can overcome any obstacle. Listening to the boys open up and tell stories was funny, and sometimes sad, but it made them closer.
Ultimately they find the dead boy, but Vern’s brothers and his friends try to take credit and this is when Gordie takes the lead and pulls the gun on the older boys. This is a turning point for Gordie and the other boys are very surprised at what he did, but it was his opportunity to show he could stand up to others. The boys then return to CastleRock and anonymously call the police, and go their separate ways. A trip that lasted only a few days seemed to make the boys mature by years.
The film then tells the future of each of the boys. Vern married right out of high school and became a forklift driver, Teddy ended up in jail, and Chris did become a lawyer but was stabbed to death trying to help someone.
The film does a great job in showing the difficulties that boys face growing up, especially when coming from difficult backgrounds. It’s through each experience that I believe all of us can relate to, that makes it interesting. I found that during each experience I would question myself on how I would handle it, and compare it to how the boys actually handled it.
In the end you root for the boys, since they are underdogs and you hope they all become successful and are able to make it out of the small town. However, just like in real life that’s usually not how it happens and in Stand by Me only one of the boys, Gordie, actually made it out of town. A great film due to the different characters, the adventure, the music, and the hope that the boys will become successful. Highly recommended.
The boys encounter several obstacles during their journey such as, being caught on a bridge with a train heading towards them, being chased by a dog, walking through a river and getting leeches all over them. After each experience the boys grow closer and start opening up about their fears and also their hopes. One thing for sure is that after each experience they decide they won’t turn back and they start feeling confident that they can overcome any obstacle. Listening to the boys open up and tell stories was funny, and sometimes sad, but it made them closer.
Ultimately they find the dead boy, but Vern’s brothers and his friends try to take credit and this is when Gordie takes the lead and pulls the gun on the older boys. This is a turning point for Gordie and the other boys are very surprised at what he did, but it was his opportunity to show he could stand up to others. The boys then return to CastleRock and anonymously call the police, and go their separate ways. A trip that lasted only a few days seemed to make the boys mature by years.
The film then tells the future of each of the boys. Vern married right out of high school and became a forklift driver, Teddy ended up in jail, and Chris did become a lawyer but was stabbed to death trying to help someone.
The film does a great job in showing the difficulties that boys face growing up, especially when coming from difficult backgrounds. It’s through each experience that I believe all of us can relate to, that makes it interesting. I found that during each experience I would question myself on how I would handle it, and compare it to how the boys actually handled it.
In the end you root for the boys, since they are underdogs and you hope they all become successful and are able to make it out of the small town. However, just like in real life that’s usually not how it happens and in Stand by Me only one of the boys, Gordie, actually made it out of town. A great film due to the different characters, the adventure, the music, and the hope that the boys will become successful. Highly recommended.