The River Phoenix Pages

Cast

Story

Learning about the death of one of his friends when he was a teenager, a writer remembers that eventful summer they spent as teenagers, in the 60es. Being neglected by his parents since his brother's death, Gordie Lachance gathers his three best friends, Chris, Vern and Teddy, to leave on search for the dead body of a kid of their age, that has been found near the railroad tracks. They have to fight with a gang of older boys on the road, but the travel is as well a journey towards life, death and adulthood, as the boys are in full teenage. (typically a movie you can't sum up actually : you've got to see it)

For more details, check out the screenplay linked in other resources.

Quotes

Gordie : Do you think I'm weird?
Chris : Definitely.
Gordie : No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris : Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird.

Gordie : Maybe you could go into the College-courses with me.
Chris : That'll be the day.
Gordie : Why not you're smart enough.
Chris : They won't let me.
Gordie : What d'you mean?
Chris : It's the way people think of my family in this town. It's the way they think of me. Just one of those lowlife Chambers-kids.
Gordie : That's not true.
Chris : Oh it is. No one even asked me if I took the milkmoney that time. I just got a three-day vacation.
Gordie : Did you take it?
Chris : Yeah I took it. You knew I took it. Teddy knew I took it. Everyone knew I took it. Even Vern knew it I think. Maybe I was sorry and I tried to give it back.
Gordie : Tried to give it back?
Chris : Maybe, just maybe. And maybe I took it to Old Lady Simons and told her. And the money was all there. But I still got a three-day vacation because it never showed up. And maybe the next week Old lady Simons had that brand new skirt on when she came to school.
Gordie : Yeah, yeah. It was brown and had dots on it!
Chris : Yeah. So let's just say that I stole the milk money but Old Lady Simons stole it back from me. Just suppose that I told the story. Me, Chris Chambers, kid brother of the Eyeball Chambers. You think that anybody would have believed it?
Gordie : No.
Chris : And d'you think that that bitch would have dared try something like that if it would have been one of those dootch bags from up on The View if they had taken the money?
Gordie : No way!
Chris : Oh no! But with me! I'm sure she had her eyes on that skirt for a long time. Anyway she saw her chance and she took it. I was the stupid one for even trying to give it back. I never thought - I never thought that a teacher-- Oh who gives a fuck anyway? I just wish I could go to some place where nobody knows me. I guess I'm just a pussy, Gordie.
Gordie : (whispers) No way, no way.

Chris : You could be a real writer someday, Gordie.
Gordie : Fuck writing! I don't wanna be a writer! It's stupid! It's a stupid wasted time!
Chris : That's your dad talking.
Gordie : Bullshit.
Chris : Bulltrue. I know how your dad feels about you, he doesn't give a shit about you. Denny was the one he cared about, and don't try to tell me different! You're just a kid, Gordie.
Gordie : Oh gee, thanks, dad!
Chris : Wish the hell I was your dad. You wouldn't be going around talking about taking these stupid shop-courses if I was. It's like God gave you something, man. All those stories that you can make up. An' he said: This is what we got for you, kid, try not to lose it. But kids lose everything unless there's someone there to look after them. And if your parents are too fucked up to do it then maybe I should.

Chris : I'm never gonna get out of this town, am I, Gordie?
Gordie : You can do anything you want, man.
Chris : Yeah, sure. Gimme some skin.
Gordie : I'll see you.
Chris : Not if I see you first.

Writer : Chris did get out. He enrolled in the College-courses with me. And although it was hard he gutted it out like he always did. He went on to College and eventually became a lawyer. Last week he entered a fast food restaurant. Just ahead of him, two men got into an argument. One of them pulled a knife. Chris who would always make the best peace tried to break it up. He was stabbed in the throat. He died almost instantly.

Trivia

The movie was nominated in 1987 for the Academy Award of Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Also nominated the same year for the Golden Globe Award of Best Motion Picture (Drama), and Rob Reiner was nominated for the Golden Globe Award of Best Director.

A "Special Edition" DVD has been released in 2000 (Zone 1 and 2), containing a lot of extra features including : filmographies of the crew, comments on the movie by Rob Reiner, a 30-mn long documentary especially done for this edition : "Walking the tracks : The Summer of Stand By Me" with interviews of Rob Reiner, Stephen King, Richard Dreyfuss, Kiefer Sutherland, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell, and the 1986 music video of Ben E. King for the title track, featuring Wil Wheaton and River.

Pictures

Other resources

• French reviews (not translated yet)