Stand By Me (1986)

The friends we make at 12 may never be matched by the ones we make later, and some journeys stay with us for the rest of our lives. Rob Reiner's "Stand by Me," a sleeper hit in 1986, is based on Stephen King's novella "The Body," from his collection "Different Seasons," but it's far more about the joys and heartaches of boyhood friendship than any grim fascination with death. In the summer of 1959, four boys from the small town of Castle Rock, Oregon - sensitive storyteller Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough but loyal Chris (River Phoenix), reckless, hot-tempered Teddy (Corey Feldman) and chubby, nervous Vern (Jerry O'Connell) - set out on an overnight trek through the woods to find the body of a missing local boy. Their journey brings plenty of scary adventures, including a vicious junkyard dog, a leech-infested swamp and a terrifying race across a railroad trestle as a train bears down, but it also brings quiet moments, personal confessions and the rowdy camaraderie of best friends. Told in flashback by the adult Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss), now a writer, it leans into a golden, idealized nostalgia, and some of the boys' salty language feels more modern than the period. Still, it's a delight from start to finish, thanks to its young cast's easy chemistry and its timeless themes of friendship, family and growing up. Kiefer Sutherland makes a memorable teen bully, and look closely for John Cusack in flashbacks as Gordie's late, beloved older brother. A true crowd-pleaser, it earned an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, and Reiner followed it with an even bigger success, "The Princess Bride."