Thomas Marinelli ’26

by Thomas Marinelli ’26 on April 23, 2026

The Last Summer Before Everything Changes

Stand By Me (1986), directed by the late, great Rob Reiner, does what very few movies can do in just one hour and 29 minutes. This is not your average movie you throw on before going to bed. This is a movie that stays with you. Based on the 1982 novella The Body by Stephen King, Stand by Me follows four boys in 1959 Oregon who set out to find the body of a missing stranger just outside their town. It sounds a little ridiculous, but it’s their journey that captures something much deeper: the feeling of childhood slipping away, and the realization that you’ve grown up. It’s not just a movie about kids going to see a body; it’s about the last moments before everything changes.

The four boys—Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), and Chris Chambers—are no older than 12, but that never stops them from trying to act like adults. Chris, played by River Phoenix, is the obvious leader. He comes from a difficult family, but is also the most empathetic, especially toward Gordie (Wil Wheaton), the film’s narrator. The two share a bond that is clearly deeper than the rest of the group. Through them, the movie reveals its real story—not just escaping town, but figuring out how to. Looking for the body is not just a simple boyish curiosity of wanting to see something grotesque, although that is definitely something a young boy would do. It becomes a symbol of something bigger: the loss of their innocence and the point of no return.

One of the strongest parts of the film is the world it creates in Castle Rock, OR: forests, hills, and train tracks stretching into nowhere. What should be a short trip feels like a full-scale adventure. The late ’50s setting especially comes alive through small details: music like “Lollipop” by The Chordettes, old pickup trucks, and the feeling of endless summer days. It all adds to a nostalgic atmosphere that feels real without being forced.

In particular, Gordie really stands out as a great character. As the crew sits around bonfires at night, he shares stories that he’s come up with and writes about—part of his natural gift as a storyteller, and a reflection of Stephen King himself. In one of the most important scenes, Gordie tells a story that abruptly ends, leaving the crew to question what happens next, but there is no follow-up scene, no telling what happens after, leaving them confused and disappointed. All except for Chris, who always sticks by Gordie’s side and never questions whether his stories are good or not. He already knows.

I won’t spoil the ending, but this is a must-watch. At its core, Stand By Me is about the things you can’t control: where you come from, where you’re going, and who stays by you along the way. It’s about the people and moments that come and go: friends, schools, places, entire chapters of life, and the question that follows all of it: what happens next? The film doesn’t try to answer that. Instead, it lets the question sit with you; not everything lasts, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful. It’s a story about one summer, one chapter ending, and the start of the next. And like Gordie’s stories, there’s no clear ending, just whatever comes next.