Warm, nostalgic and deeply moving, Stand By Me is one of the most legendary and beloved coming-of-age dramas ever made. Funny, emotional and beautifully human, this timeless 1986 classic captures the magic and heartbreak of childhood friendship with extraordinary honesty, which is why it remains so acclaimed decades later. With the film becoming 40 this year and the sad death of its acclaimed director Rob Reiner last year, it felt like the perfect time to get it back on the big screen to celebrate it!
Based on Stephen King’s novella The Body, the film follows four young boys in small-town Oregon during the late 1950s who set out on a journey to find the body of a missing teenager. Along the way, Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern face danger, personal fears and emotional truths that slowly shape their understanding of life and growing up. The legendary Rob Reiner, director of films such as Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men and Misery (to name but a few!) delivers a masterclass in filmmaking. He creates an unforgettable atmosphere through warm cinematography, natural performances and a brilliant use of music and narration that perfectly evoke youthful adventure and bittersweet nostalgia. Beneath its simple storyline, the film explores friendship, innocence, trauma and the painful transition from childhood into adulthood.
Wil Wheaton delivers a heartfelt lead performance, while River Phoenix earned enormous acclaim before later starring in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Kiefer Sutherland brings intensity following his success in The Lost Boys. Critically adored upon release, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. It has become a cult-classic in the intervening years and is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest coming-of-age films ever made.
The film will be preceded by a short introduction by a member of the Halstead Empire team on why the film is regarded as a classic, some great trivia and interesting things to look out for during the screening. Come join us and celebrate the film's 40th anniversary and Rob Reiner's amazing contribution to cinema with appreciative fellow cinema fans at The Empire. Enjoy it once again, (or perhaps for the first time) on the big screen where it belongs and fall in love with the film all over again or perhaps for the first time. If perhaps like them you "never had friends later on like I did when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?” then come and drag them along with you to once again revel in the sentimentality of the friendship of the characters of this wonderful film with fellow appreciative cinema goers!
If you enjoyed films like The Goonies (1985) or Dead Poets Society (1989) then you are sure to like the absolute delight that is Stand By Me.
