12. Stand By Me
Out of Rob Reiner's run of minor classics in the '80s, which includes rom-com high-point When Harry Met Sally... and fantasy adventure-comedy The Princess Bride, his finest was heartfelt coming-of-age tearjerker Stand By Me. Playing four best friends on the cusp of their teens, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and the late River Phoenix make up Stand By Me's group of wise-ass kids, hiking across quiet, small-town American over the summer break in search of adventure. What they get is near-collisions with a high-speed train and a vicious Kiefer Sutherland threatening to put their eyes out with a knife. Reiner's movie is peppered with great one-liners ("Suck my fat one, you cheap dime store hood"), suffused with catchy pop tunes and sumptuously photography by cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth. It's a humble classic that stands as a touching, nostalgia-tinged portrait of '50s America, and is one of the few Stephen King adaptations that aims for your heart rather than your nervous system.
Brogan Morris
Contributor
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
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