Stand by Me (Widescreen Special Edition)

Based on a novella by Stephen King, Stand by Me tells the tale of four friends in the summer of 1959 who go in search of the body of a missing boy their own age in the thick woods surrounding their small hometown of Castle Rock. There’s the mild-mannered Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough guy Chris (the late great River Phoenix), loose-cannon Teddy (Corey Feldman), and clumsy Vern (Jerry O’Connell). Complicating their search is the fact that the town’s toughest gang, lead by Ace Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland), is also searching for the body.

Stand by Me is a beloved 1986 film about growing up, friendship and courage that is all the more powerful for the outstanding performances of its four young lead actors. As they set out on their trek down the train-tracks they are forced to pull together and exhibit a strength they never knew they had. And when it’s all over and they emerge from the woods, they’ve discovered more about themselves, each other and the world as a whole. It’s a tale that you can tell is very close to director Rob Reiner’s heart as it is very lovingly told and offers up a great soundtrack and breathtaking scenery.

Stand by Me has never looked better and offers up great video & audio quality. Fine detail and the woodsy colors in and around the small town of Castle Rock all look especially great. Special features include a 25th anniversary picture-in-picture commentary/reunion (a Blu-ray exclusive) with director Reiner and actors Wheaton and Feldman, an audio commentary by Reiner, ‘Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me’ documentary (37 min), and a music video (3 min).

Regardless of what year you were born or what decade you grew up in, Stand by Me is a timeless coming-of-age film that will tug at your heart and take you back to your own childhood memories. The film has never looked better and its special features should delight both new and old fans alike. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up for your collection. It’s a rare type of film in that it only gets better with time. Highest Recommendation.

When I was 12 ( I'm 21), I fell in love for a movie called Now and then, starring Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, Demi Moore and more...It was a coming-of-age movie. So, on the box of the VHS, it was written : The best coming-of-age since Stand by me. It made me curious about this flick, but I didn't any chances to watch it, until last May. I was working (in a Video Store), when I saw the vhs box of the movie...And when I watched it, I immediately felt in love with this beautiful movie. I really think it's the better coming-of-age movie that I've seen in my life. I just bought the DVD and woaw, again, it's a great movie. The performances of the 4 boys are remarquabe, especially Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix. I will watch this movie again and again and again. You can't be tired of Stand by me. And I don't know what to say about the end of this movie.It makes me cry each times that I see it. The story is wonderful. When I'm listening this movie, I forget all my problems. It's a film you can't miss.It's a masterpiece !

I'm not going to write a synopsis of the plot here or tell you how great the movie is. You already know that. If you are going to buy this movie on DVD and have never seen it, plan to watch the bonus documentary included on the new DVD release first, "Walking the Tracks," a behind-the-scenes look at the making of film as told by Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell. You'll hear Wil explain why Gordie doesn't get his brother's Yankee cap returned, what Jerry O'Connell really thought of Kiefer Sutherland, and how Rob Reiner made two of the cast members weep during the train trestle scene! The docu footage appears to have been shot on the late 1990s or even early 2000, and it's wonderful to see these people together again (River Phoenix, who died in 1993, is not part of the documentary, but is referred to by just about everyone being interviewed). The DVD format has the advantage of letterbox format (don't worry--you won't get a shrunk and stretched-looking movie . . . the widescreen format for this movie is superb, and it will make you toss your old VHS copy in the trash five minutes into the movie). The sound is good as it gets, and you'll also have subtitle options (watch dialogue to the flick in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Tai, or Korean). Overdubbed voice options include French, Spanish, Portuguese, and of course, the original dialogue in English. The best part for me was watching the movie with English subtitles, which made me realize for the first time what some of the dialogue was (including some put downs my ears could never quite figure out--"wet end" and "whoremaster," among others). But far and away, the reason you must buy this DVD is to listen to Rob Reiner's personable director's commentary as the film plays. It's an option, so you can still watch and listen to the complete movie in its original format, but if you've already memorized the scenes because you've seen this movie countless times, listen to Rob's (apparently one-take and continuous) comments about each scene. He's also very funny, and his anecdote about the scene in which Ray Brower is found by the tracks is hilarious, despite the somber tone of this section of the movie. Other perks: the long-lost video of "Stand by Me," featuring singer Ben E. King, River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton (the song was originally a #4 hit in 1960 and was re-released in the fall of 1986, peaking at #9--Rob Reiner makes a comment about the song going to #1 both times, but he's not correct). Some other treats round out the DVD, like bios of each star and scene selection. Don't wait another minute. Buy/rent a DVD player if you don't already have one.