Wil Weaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell in the Rob Reiner movie ‘Stand by Me’

The notions, both, of end-of-summer and bildungsroman were explored with impressive feeling and sensitivity in the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me (1986). Based on Stephen King‘s 1982 novella The Body, the story takes place over the weekend of Labor Day in September of 1959. Four boys from the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon take a prolonged journey to find the body of a missing boy.

(Richard Dreyfuss as Gordon ‘Gordie’ Lachance, as an adult, in the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me).

The story of Stand by Me, whose title is derived from the Ben E. King song Stand by Me, began in the modern day of 1986 with writer Gordie Lachance, portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss, learning of a stabbing in a restaurant. This led to Lachance thinking back to that Labor Day in 1959, when he journeyed with three friends enroute to see a dead body.

(From left, Wil Wheaton as Gordon ‘Gordie’ Lachance (aged 12), John Cusack as Dennis ‘Denny’ LaChance, Marshall Bell as Mr. LaChance and Frances Lee McCain as Mrs. LaChance in the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me).

The trip to that body begins earlier with an introduction to Gordie’s family. Gordie’s parents grieve the death of Gordie’s older brother, Denny, as portrayed by John Cusack. The grieving isolates Gordie, as the loss of one brother leaves little if any room for his parents to address the emotional needs of Gordie, Denny’s surviving younger brother. Marshall Bell and Frances Lee McCain portrayed Mr. and Mrs. LaChance, the parents of Gordie and Denny, respectively.

(From left, River Phoenix as Chris Chambers, Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp, Jerry O’Connell as Vern Tessio and Wil Wheaton as Gordon ‘Gordie’ Lachance (aged 12) in the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me).

The seeds of the adventure to follow are planted below the deck of Vern Tessio, the friend of Gordie LaChance, Teddy Duchamp and Chris Chambers. The really random acts of Vern leads to his suggesting to Gordie, Teddy and Chris that the four of them go looking for Ray Brower, a boy missing outside of town. Tessio, LaChance, Duchamp and Chambers were portrayed by Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and River Phoenix, respectively.

(Front seat from left, Kiefer Sutherland as John ‘Ace’ Merrill and Bradley Gregg as Richard ‘Eyeball’ Chambers. Back seat from left, Casey Siemaszko as Billy Tessio and Gary Riley as Charlie Hogan in the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me).

The adventure represents what the four boys expect the coming journey will offer to them. That each boy brings different yet emotionally similar baggage with them will become part of another similar tale that begins playing out alongside this main tale. A group of teenage boys with clearly deviant behaviors, led by John ‘Ace’ Merrill, holds sway over Billy Tessio, Charlie Hogan, Richard ‘Eyeball’ Chambers and Vince Desjardins. Bent on intimidation and peer pressure, Vern’s relationship with Billy and Chris’ relationship with Richard, their elder brothers, are not easy. Merrill, Billy Tessio, Hogan, Richard Chambers and Desjardins were portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, Gary Riley, Bradley Gregg and Jason Oliver Lipsett, respectively.

(Bruce Kirby as Mr. Quidacioluo in the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me).

‘Ace’ Merrill and ‘Eyeball’ Chambers threaten Chris and Gordie before their formal journey begins, with the internal baggage this reflects gaining its fullest significance only at later points in the movie. The individual relationships that the four youngest boys have with their fathers, in part defined through the relationships the older brothers also have with their fathers, becomes a focal point through the story. The expressions of these moments of pain, and the way that the boys respond, becomes worth your time and effort for engaging with the Stand by Me movie.

(From left, director Rob Reiner and actor River Phoenix on set of the Rob Reiner movie Stand by Me).

The screenplay for the movie Stand by Me was written by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans. The movie produced perhaps the first experience I had with seeing a movie prompting me to go back to the novella and read the material that inspired the movie. The parting drama, the histories of the boys shared at the end of the film, and the reflection upon what friendship was when twelve-years-old, becomes a parting gift. Popeye in his role as Chopper also was a gift. I rate Stand by Me as directed by Rob Reiner 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, August 27, 2022

Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson and the film ‘A Few Good Men’

We go back to the military courtroom drama for today’s review of the film A Few Good Men (1992). Rob Reiner directed the screenplay  written by Aaron Sorkin. The tale of a Navy lawyer who has never seen the inside of the courtroom defending two reticent Marines accused of murdering a colleague, an ensemble cast to rival ensemble casts offers a compelling experience worthy of the four Academy Award nominations the film received.

(Wolfgang Bodison as Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson, left, and James Marshall as Pfc. Louden Downey in the film A Few Good Men).

Marines Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson (portrayed by Wolfgang Bodsion) and Pfc. Loudon Downey (portrayed by James Marshall) face a general Court-martial for allegedly murdering fellow marine Pfc. William Santiago in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. As the military superficially looks for a quick resolution to this matter, Lt. Daniel Kaffee (portrayed by Tom Cruise) is assigned the case owing to his propensity for arranging plea bargains for every case he handles.

(From left to right are Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Demi Moore as Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, and Kevin Pollak as Lt. Sam Weinberg in the film A Few Good Men).

Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (portrayed by Demi Moore) catches the case originally, with the military looking to assign the case to Kaffee. Lt. Sam Weinberg (as portrayed by Kevin Pollak) also is assigned to offer whatever logistical support will be necessary, which initially seems like little to nothing. As Dawson and Downey seek a vigorous defense, the matter will proceed to the full general Court-martial some had hoped to avoid.

(Kevin Bacon as Capt. Jack Ross in the film A Few Good Men).

Opposing council for the proceedings is led by Capt. Jack Ross (portrayed by Kevin Bacon). Ross plays an ultimately straight-laced character who offers sometimes candid advice to his opposing council regarding the severity of the judicial process to Lt. Daniel Kaffee. The larger question of guilt or innocence underpinning much of the drama within this is whether the action undertaken by Downey and Dawson occurred at the behest of Guantánamo Bay marine commander Col. Nathan R. Jessep (portrayed by Jack Nicholson).

(Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessep in the film A Few Good Men).

Col. Nathan R. Jessep is shown through multiple scenes in A Few Good Men to possess a coldly calculating, fierce, and domineering personality that if felt, minimally, to the people under his command. At the heart of the drama is learning the methods and ends of Jessep’s leadership style, as well as whether Kaffee, Galloway, and Weinberg have the wherewithal to go the distance against Jessep through the Court-martial to produce a just outcome for Downey and Dawson.

( J.T. Walsh as Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson, top left, Kiefer Sutherland as 2nd. Lt. Jonathan Kendrick, top right Noah Wyle as Cpl. Jeffrey Barnes, bottom left, and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Cpl. Carl Hammaker, bottom right, in the film A Few Good Men).

Playing more significant supporting roles in moving the story of A Few Good Men to that end are Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson (as portrayed by J.T. Walsh) and 2nd. Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (as portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland). Less significant supporting roles were included Cpl. Jeffrey Barnes (as portrayed by Noah Wyle), and Cpl. Carl Hammaker (as portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr.).

(Screenplay writer Aaron Sorkin, left, and director Rob Reiner from the film A Few Good Men).

The dramatic presentation and emotional depth of the film A Few Good Men made for a compelling experience. Is there justice for all within this film? Do each of the individual characters deserve the fate they received? Could the stakes raised in the film have happened in real life? For that last question, the answer is the real life case the film seems to be based on was more violent. All told, the experience to be had is worth the time and emotional investment. For that, A Few Good Men earns 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Saturday, July 20, 2019