The road to watching Stand By Me was not necessarily long, but it was winding. It started with the upcoming theatrical release of Ready Player One. The book is one of my all-time favorites as it hits the right combination of nostalgia, action, and storytelling. Rather than read the book again, I opted for listening to the audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton. There is Stand By Me “aha” moment number one.

While discussing with my girlfriend my decision to re-experience Ready Player One via audiobook rather than normal book and how I my impression of Wheaton as a narrator had improved during the course of my listen, she made the comment along the vein of, “I can’t believe how chubby he was.” No, no, no. After I provided a satisfying “I told you so” educational moment regarding the correct acting credits with just the right amount of smugness to avoid a swift smack to my nether region, she made the observation that River Phoenix has now been dead longer than he was alive. That morbid realization finally placed the nugget in my mind that I needed to watch Stand By Me at some point in the near future, “aha” moment number two.

Fast-forward to the following Saturday, I sit down in my gaming/computer/office chair with a steaming mug of coffee, ready to blow away what should have been another productive Saturday morning with several hours of gaming. Destiny 2 had another DLC expansion releasing in a few weeks, so I thought I should see if the fire with a franchise that had occupied months of my life could be rekindled. Mindlessly traveling from planet to planet mowing down aliens, however, was not engaging enough. This would be the perfect opportunity for a background movie, so I ambled over to one of my overstocked movie shelves, my attention immediately drawn to the light’s reflection off the cellophane of my still-unwrapped Stand By Me DVD, “aha” moment number three.

Finally, I can write about the movie. There are probably spoilers in here, but this movie is over 30 years old which should be outside the statute of limitations for movie spoilers. Anyway, the first thought that went through my mind is Stand By Me feels like The Goonies. There is a gang of kids heading out on an adventure of discovery while making interpersonal revelations and fending off threats. There is even a portly member who shares mannerisms with his Goony counterpart. Hell, Corey Feldman is in both movies. I likely would not have made this connection if I had not also recently watched The Goonies. Regardless, I really enjoy both movies, so the comparison is not a knock against but rather an interesting tidbit about two movies released a year apart.

Stand By Me is a movie that feels and looks 80’s (despite being set in 1959) because it has substance. The characters are interacting with one another and the physical world. It feels like a simple movie compared to the superhero and sci-fi blockbusters hitting theaters today. I enjoy modern movies and the visual pleasures they provide, but being able to take in a movie that is all story and characters, like Stand By Me, is truly what hooked me on “the talkies”. I love seeing young Kiefer Sutherland in another villain role and comparing that to present days’ Kiefer as cheer-worthy President Kirkman in Designated Survivor. I love knowing young Wil Wheaton grows into a super nerd and hosts the Tabletop web series. I love that Jerry O’Connell ends up being Jerry O’Connell. I love that Corey Feldman and River Phoenix…I love that Richard Dreyfuss and John Cusack are in this as supporting characters.

I doubt kids and young adults unaffected by 80’s and 90’s nostalgia will find a need to watch this movie, and that is a shame. “Tell me more, grandpa.” Sure, there may be better and brighter distractions in the world today, but some things, despite the medium on which they exist, actually allow for the formation of a connection. It is hard to say exactly why, but Stand By Me is a movie that feels as though it occupies space in this world which is something harder to come by these days. I often leave theaters today thinking, “That was good, but I really only watched it to say I watched it.” It was nice to have a movie make me feel something again.