The Anniversary Brothers: Stand by Me 40th Anniversary

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Stand by Me.

Stand by Me is a coming-of-age drama film directed by Rob Reiner. It an adaptation of the Stephen King novella The Body with a screenplay by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans. The movie title comes from the Ben E. King song of the same name. It opened nationwide on August 22, 1986.

In the film, Gordie Lachance (Richard Dreyfuss, Wil Wheaton) recounts how in 1959 he and his friends Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Verne (Jerry O’Connell) went looking for a dead body. Along the way, we learn about the boys’ problems. The four come into conflict with Castle Rock’s gang of bullies, led by Ace (Kiefer Sutherland). 

The film also introduces us to Gordie’s deceased older brother, Denny (John Cusack), via flashback.

Stand by Me was a critical and commercial success, grossing $52 million domestically on an $8 million budget. It was hailed as one of the top 10 films of 1986 by the National Board of Review and nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. 

The film continues to attract tourists from around the word to Brownsville, Oregon, where much it was filmed. The town has an annual Stand by Me Day on the fourth Saturday in July. Stephen King also remembers the film fondly, listing it as his favorite adaptation of his work, along with The Shawshank Redemption.

Aaron talks about watching the movie years ago and then watching it again, while Josh talks about watching Stand by Me for the first time. They go into the plot, performances, and the scant few differences between the movie and the novella, which they both read in preparation. They also discuss Rob Reiner’s filmography and other Stephen King adaptations. 

For another classic movie from 1986, you can listen to last month’s podcast on Aliens.

Stand by Me is streaming on HBO Max