# "Stand by Me" is 40 today {Released August 22, 1986} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 22, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494 "2026-08-22T21:07:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/21 "2026-08-23T13:09:58Z")
I suppose I should try to watch it again. I tried once and didn’t make it more than 20 minutes. Or maybe it’s just me. There are several _everyone-loves_ movies that I couldn’t wade thru. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/22 "2026-08-23T13:14:16Z")
Did you also not like **Princess Bride**? That is also directed by Rob Reiner. If so, maybe his style of directing, doesn’t work for you? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/23 "2026-08-23T13:30:57Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I suppose I should try to watch it again. I tried once and didn’t make it more than 20 minutes. Or maybe it’s just me. There are several _everyone-loves_ movies that I couldn’t wade thru. I liked (but didn’t love-love-love) Stand By Me, but The Shawshank Redemption is a movie that I will probably never watch again. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/24 "2026-08-23T14:24:37Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I found it on HBOMax and watched it this afternoon. Thanks! Did not know. Been a long time, probably due for a rewatch. Interesting that the two most beloved King adaptions, this and Shawshank, have no supernatural elements whatsoever. I don’t know what that means, if anything. Maybe non-supernatural plots are more universally relatable? Hmm, I’m getting a notion now to make a ‘Best King Adaption’ poll. Not sure how I’d go about building it yet. Include movies and miniseries? Limit to 10 or so highest-rated adaptions? I’d have to draw the line somewhere, since there’s a lot of King-adapted stuff out there, and much of it is crap. Allow 3 choices per vote? If I only allowed one per vote, it’d probably be 99% between Stand and Shawshank. At least, 3 choices would give the also-rans a few votes. Or make a list of the best adaptions that are NOT Stand or Shawshank? Well, I probably wouldn’t get to it until tomorrow, if at all, so I’ll think on it. Apologies if this is a hijack. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/25 "2026-08-23T14:33:25Z")
My guess is _The Shining_ (which King didn’t like) and _Misery_ (also directed by Rob Reiner) will be in the top 4. Probably either _Carrie_ or _Dolores Claiborne_ to round it out. I wonder how well remembered _The Dead Zone_ is, that is one of my favorites and would be my #5. I always enjoyed _The Running Man_ but forgot it is based on a King story. It is pretty far from the source material. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/26 "2026-08-23T14:49:21Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Did you also not like **Princess Bride**? That is also directed by Rob Reiner. If so, maybe his style of directing, doesn’t work for you? Love it, as well as _When Harry Met Sally._ It’s not Reiner. Who knows? The story just didn’t hold my interest. Some movies are like that. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/27 "2026-08-23T14:59:09Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > My guess is _The Shining_ (which King didn’t like) King and me both. _The Shining_ is the first King novel I ever read, at 14, and it made a big impression on me (I was nervous about opening the shower curtain for quite awhile afterwards). When I saw the movie a couple years later I was really disappointed in the liberties Kubrick took. I can appreciate the movie more now as its own Kubrickian thing, but if I was King I would have been pissed as well. The original _Carrie_, on the other hand, I think might be the best supernatural adaption of a King novel, maybe even ranking up up there with the best horror movies ever made, and does stay pretty close to its source material, if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/28 "2026-08-23T15:15:34Z")
Can’t leave out _The Green Mile_. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/29 "2026-08-23T15:37:03Z")
Dissenting view: I pretty much can’t stand King, in book or movie. His stuff insists upon itself. 😉 But I liked Stand By Me. I guess I can see myself in those kids, even so. I was mildly annoyed later when I found out the film left out the boys getting beaten by the gang. Sort of takes away the happy ending, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/30 "2026-08-23T15:40:11Z")
When it comes to Stephen King adaptations, _The Mist_ is at the top of my list. Some folks don’t like the way the movie ended, but King loved it. I recommend watching the B&W version if you haven’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/31 "2026-08-23T15:56:43Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > When it comes to Stephen King adaptations, _The Mist_ is at the top of my list. Some folks don’t like the way the movie ended, but King loved it. I agree on the superiority of the movie ending. A very effective gut-punch of a twist. One thing that’s been said about King is he often can’t seem to come up with a satisfying ending to his stories. His ending to _The Mist_ was not his worst, but was kind of vague and wishy-washy (going purely from memory): as they drive off in the mist, not knowing if they’ll ever get to safety, they hear the one word ‘hope’ among the static on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/32 "2026-08-23T15:59:26Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Interesting that the two most beloved King adaptions, this and Shawshank, have no supernatural elements whatsoever. I don’t know what that means, if anything. Maybe non-supernatural plots are more universally relatable? In addition to no supernatural elements, neither film is horror, which some (like me) avoid. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/33 "2026-08-23T16:58:15Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > If Rob Reiner were still alive, I’d suggest they go reshoot all the Richard Dreyfuss scenes, including the voiceover, with adult Wil Wheaton. > > Has anything like that ever been done in a movie? > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Did you also not like **Princess Bride**? That is also directed by Rob Reiner. If so, maybe his style of directing, doesn’t work for you? Annnd while we’re at it and since someone mentioned this movie, Fred Savage could do the same for the adult narration of Kevin in the Wonder Years, when they had Daniel Stern do it originally. Savage ended up with an adult voice 1-2 octaves below Stern’s. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/34 "2026-08-23T19:28:12Z")
On the subject of movies that I finally got around to seeing after years of saying “I need to see that”, about a year ago I finally got around to seeing “The Goonies”. And by far the least enjoyable part of that _and_ “Stand By Me” was Corey Feldman. I can’t quite put my finger on what bothers me about his acting. It just doesn’t seem natural… like he’s trying too hard or something. He winds up being more of a caricature than a character. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/35 "2026-08-23T19:30:22Z")
He is the worst major actor in Stand by Me, without question. For Goonies, sillier movie, less asked for as far as acting. But he might have the least memorable character of the kids. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/36 "2026-08-23T21:30:00Z")
Upthread it was mentioned that it was a boys movie, but as a girl who was about the same age as the kids in the movie when it came out (or at least by the time we rented it on vhs), I still loved it for the vibe. Sure, they were grosser, but it’s not like my female friends and I weren’t running around the woods. And all the kids in the mid 80s in that age range that I knew cussed just as much, maybe even more, than the kids in the movie. Maybe it’s a New England thing and King’s story reflects us northeast potty mouths more than other areas. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/37 "2026-08-23T21:50:25Z")
> [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > And all the kids in the mid 80s in that age range that I knew cussed just as much, maybe even more, than the kids in the movie. OK, but we are talking about 1959–1960, not what kids were doing in the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/38 "2026-08-23T21:51:09Z")
I have no idea how well-documented how much kids of that time cursed. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/39 "2026-08-24T07:41:34Z")
I like _ **Stand by Me** _ very much, but I’ve never understood why Kiefer Sutherland didn’t just bide his time and wait for an opportunity to beat the crap out of Wil Wheaton after he humiliated him with the .45. He couldn’t have carried it with him everywhere he went, could he? And like they said in the _ **Family Guy** _ parody, it was a small town, and everybody knew where Wil lived. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494/40 "2026-08-24T07:45:23Z")
Keifer’s character was a bully, not a killer. He was probably afraid Gordie would shoot him after that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-by-me-is-40-today-released-august-22-1986/1032494.md?page=3)