The Best Time Watching Stand By Me

Monday is Movies. Today, revisiting a classic in the best way with the best company.

I remember seeing the trailer. And I wanted to go see the film. But I’m not sure that happened – I’ve no memory of seeing it on the big screen.

But later, VHS, it was a staple. Bike down to the local video store and pick it up. Later it was on TV, and we made our own copy of it, paused the ads and watched it over and again.

Then the revelation that it was a Stephen King story, it came from one of his books. I was at university when I finally read The Body and the book that housed it (Different Seasons – a classic).

So of course I watched the film again.

But the greatest thing about this film was introducing it to my son. It seemed to fit with some of the themes of it. A classic coming of age drama with just enough laughs.

For years it was my go-to in Stephen King appreciation if someone needed convincing. You mentioned this, and The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile and the book On Writing – and that was enough to tell someone that any of the horror cliches they’d decided summed up King were never going to be the full and accurate picture.

But, watching it with Oscar was the thing. He went straight out to a second-hand store and bought his own copy.

We watched it together, such a favourite of mine but it had been probably 20 years at least since I had last seen it. To watch it with the boy – his first time – was such a treat. He was maybe a tiny bit younger than I was when I first saw it. But it’s interesting to me that 9 today is easily like 12 back then, at least in some ways. In other ways it’s so-so different (I still walk him to school quite often, when I was about 7 I was letting myself in the house alone often).

Anyway, We’ve been watching a few of these films from that era. And it’s mixed results, as you’d have to expect. I was quite surprised that he didn’t love Beetlejuice at all.

But he loved Stand By Me. And that mattered the most.

And not more importantly, but good to note, I still loved it too.

Maybe more than I ever did.

Such a tender story. Economical too. But when the boys set off on the big walk, their bedrolls over their shoulders, I turned to Oscar and asked him how he would get on.

I named three of his friends, said – “imagine if you all wandered off for a night like this, I wonder how far you would get?” He gave the perfect answer. Telling me he would love it – but didn’t think they’d get that far and was there a chance they could be taken there by car. Escorted. Looked after. Helped along the way.

“Would you come with us too, dad? Would you?”

We watched the second half of the film locked in the warmest cuddle.

There’d be deeper themes to talk about. And some questions might arise, sure.

But that’s all for some other day.