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Stand by Me

Stand by Me

Drama · Adventure · 1986

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.

Movie details

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 Drama · Adventure 1h 29m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.8 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Stand by Me?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Into the Wild

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Dances with Wolves

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The Cowboys

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When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage, however, neither he nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.

Lord of the Flies

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Rob Reiner

Written by

Raynold Gideon · Bruce A. Evans

Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton

Gordie Lachance

River Phoenix

River Phoenix

Chris Chambers

Corey Feldman

Corey Feldman

Teddy Duchamp

Jerry O'Connell

Jerry O'Connell

Vern Tessio

Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland

Ace Merrill

Casey Siemaszko

Casey Siemaszko

Billy Tessio

Gary Riley

Gary Riley

Charlie Hogan

Court is in session

Put Stand by Me on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.