#128 | Stand By Me 2: The Sign

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Four emotionally damaged youths searching for the corpse of their missing schoolmate isn’t the most obvious plot summary for a childhood classic, but Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me has nonetheless come to more or less define the coming of age movie genre. Based on a short story by Stephen King, the film paints an authentic picture of pre-teen anxiety and the fleeting but crucial bonds of adolescent friendship. Little wonder that of all the 80s properties Stranger Things has lovingly pilfered from, Stand By Me arguably looms largest over the Netflix show’s narrative.

With all that in mind, it’s a surprise that no serious consideration has been given to some kind of revival. Admittedly, the tragic death of River Phoenix in 1993 would inevitably cast a shadow over any kind of reunion, but the rest of the cast have remained in the industry to lesser or greater degrees. Wil Wheaton appears to have survived the Wesley Crusher backlash with remarkable good humour, Jerry O’Connell is a successful TV host and comic actor and Corey Feldman, for all his well-documented personal troubles over the years, is nothing if not a survivor. Why not get the gang back together for a middle-aged reunion?

In this week’s podcast, we explore what that reunion might look like, and compare notes on some of our favourite moments from the original – including Kiefer Sutherland’s iconic peroxide asshole look, the still-haunting leech bite scene and of course, the iconic barf-o-rama. We also come up with some drinking games for the mature viewer, and share some of our favourite listener reactions.

You can download or stream our Stand By Me episode absolutely free by following any of the links at the top of this blog post – or by searching for us on your preferred podcasting app. If you enjoy our show, please hit subscribe to receive a new episode every Friday morning, and leave us a rating or a review to help us to reach the ears of new listeners.

Next week, we’ll be continuing our Stephen King mini-season with one of the most beloved movies of all time – spoiler alert, it’s not the recent remake of Pet Semetary. Until then, happy listening and remember – a pile of shit has 1,000 eyes. Whatever that means…