Rob Reiner's beautiful coming-of-age tale, based on the Stephen King novella "The Body," follows four pre-teens--Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell--on a heartwarming and heartbreaking two day trek into the forest searching for a missing teenager's body. The picture and sound qualities are both very good, and the extras include a fine "making of" documentary featuring interviews with King, Reiner, Wheaton, Feldman and O'Connell, as well as remembrances of River Phoenix. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--March 22, 2005--Sony, 2 discs, 90 min., R, $24.95--Making its third appearance on DVD, 1986's Stand By Me: Deluxe Edition is virtually identical to the earlier Special Edition in terms of the film and extras. What's been added is a 32-page glossy booklet full of pictures and text from the 1986 theatrical press kit, as well as an eight-track (no pun intended) CD featuring the title cut, Buddy Holly's "Everyday," Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire," The Coasters' "Yakety Yak," and four other songs from the film. Bottom line: if you already own the special edition, there's no compelling reason to add this one--which is priced $10 more.][Blu-ray Review—May 27, 2008—Sony, 88 min., R, $24.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1986's Stand By Me: 25th Anniversary Edition sports a decent transfer with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Extras carried over from the previous DVD release include audio commentary with director Rob Reiner, a “Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand By Me” behind-the-scenes featurette (37 min.), and a music video. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is picture-in-picture video commentary with Reiner and costars Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a contemporary coming-of-age classic makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]
This titled is included in our list of inspiring movies for teachers.