RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Stand by Me
Stand by Me

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Stand by Me (1986)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
94 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:33

Fresh:31

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.8/10

Runtime: 88 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Based on Stephen King's novella THE BODY, director Rob Reiner's STAND BY ME is the disarmingly tender and subtly sublime story of four kids on the precipice of early adulthood who embark upon a... Based on Stephen King's novella THE BODY, director Rob Reiner's STAND BY ME is the disarmingly tender and subtly sublime story of four kids on the precipice of early adulthood who embark upon a quest. There's Gordie (Wil Wheaton), the intelligent, creative one with the obviously bright future. His best buddy, Chris (River Phoenix), hardens his image in order to hide the pain from the physical abuse he endures at home, all the while harboring the hope of escaping that image. Rounding out the foursome are Vern (Jerry O'Connell), the pudgy tagalong, and Teddy (Corey Feldman), a loyal and funny but troubled kid with a death wish. When the four boys hear about a dead body 20 miles down the railroad tracks from their small Oregon town, they clandestinely set upon the unwieldy journey to lay eyes on this rare find. Amid numerous misadventures, Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy savor what may be their last chance to revel in the simple life of children; around the corner is a future that could tear them apart, not to mention a tough teen gang who desires local fame by finding the body first. Enhanced by excellent performances and an engaging plot, STAND BY ME ranks among the best of the myriad coming-of-age films to dot the 1980s cinematic landscape. [More]

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Richard Dreyfuss, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, Gary Riley, Bradley Gregg, Jason Oliver, John Cusack, Marshall Bell

Director: Rob Reiner

Director: Rob Reiner
Screenwriter: Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans
Producer: Andrew Scheinman, Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans
Composer: Jack Nitzsche

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Stand by Me

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An absorbing, touching examination of the loss of innocence that, despite occasionally drifting towards the sappy, undeniably deserves its place in the heart of a generation.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark Dinning
Mark Dinning
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A well-observed and executed little film.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/05/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Scripters have written inspired dialog for this quartet of plucky boys at that hard-to-capture age when they're still young enough to get scared and yet old enough to want to sneak smokes and cuss.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/29/09
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/01/08
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/30/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Though nostalgic, Reiner's film, based on Stephen King's autobiographical novella, is suffused with the magic of childhood; the narrative is framed by a long flashback that brings distance to the remembered reality.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/08/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Haunting coming-of-age drama; young River Phoenix's presence adds considerable poignancy

comment Comment
06/16/06
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
10/27/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/05/05
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

No review available.

comment Comment
04/29/05
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

It transports you back, not to the 1950s, but to a time when, like Vern, you knew the important things in life.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment 2 Comments
03/31/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

No review available.

comment Comment
01/19/05
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Still powerful Reiner film with great kid actors.

comment Comment
12/27/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Walter Goodman
Walter Goodman
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
05/25/04
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca

A lot of folks go in for this movie in a big way, but I have a hard time seeing past the cloying comedy and clichéd white-guy sentimentality.

comment 4 Comments
04/20/04
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

No review available.

comment Comment
04/08/04
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

A solid coming of age story that actually improves upon its source material.

comment Comment
03/26/04
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

Soggy with false sentiment.

comment 2 Comments
03/11/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Stand by Me

October 09, 2008: Meet Corey Feldman Courtesy of RT
The Raindance Film Festival is ongoing in London and, as part of our media partnership, we're proud to remind all RT readers that we'll be presenting a very special Dinner and... More...

April 07, 2008: Director Garth Jennings on Son of Rambow: The RT Interview
We catch up with one half of Hammer & Tongs to talk First Blood, a return of innocence, and why an 60 year-old bloke sitting on a gun isn't much fun. More...

December 19, 2006: McG Spills a Little Oil on "Hot Wheels"
While out drumming up some publicity for his new drama "We Are Marshall," director McG (I think his real name is Joe McGinty McNichol or something) was (of course)... More...

March 16, 2006: Hurt To Play Costner's Evil Twin In "Mr. Brooks"
William Hurt, whose role as a crime boss in David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" nabbed him an Oscar nomination, joins the cast of MGM's psychological thriller... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
17
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
67
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
45
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
43
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
42
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
39
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
21
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
19
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
12
  • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
10
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
1
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Stand by Me at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Stand by Me at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.