One of the lesser-referenced universal certainties outside of life, death and taxes is the guarantee of at least one new Stephen King adaptation being lined up for an upcoming movie schedule or TV time slot. And, more often than not, one or more of those live-action projects is a remake of a previous effort. But, one of the best King-adapted movies deserves a special law prohibiting any such ill-conceived reboot attempts: Stand by Me.
Unfortunately, Rob Reiner’s beloved 1986 coming-of-age tale will soon no longer be available to stream with a Netflix subscription, as Stand by Me is among the dozens of movies and TV shows set to vacate the platform in February.
When Is Stand By Me Leaving Netflix?
Barring any unforeseen changes happening behind the scenes, Stand by Me will be available to stream until the final day of the month, February 28, at which point viewers will have to either fall back on re-reading the adapted novella, "The Body," or will have to go out and get sucked on by filthy pond leeches while attempting to find a dead body of their own.
Or, if that sounds too extreme, the movie will still be available to rent or purchase on Amazon and Apple TV. It may, also, indeed land on another subscription service's lineup in the near future. Check out some of the other films leaving Netflix that same day, in case it wasn't already clear why Stand by Me is the one most deserving of a rewatch:
- A Haunted House 1 & 2
- Aloha
- The Angry Birds Movie
- Green Lantern
- Oblivion
- Without a Paddle
Okay, so I guess there are other movies also leaving that day that are also worth rewatching, like Inception, Sixteen Candle and James Gunn's Scooby-Doo movies. I also hope none of those are ever remade.
Let's Agree That Stand By Me Should Never Get A Modern Hollywood Remake
As it stands, pun not intended, Reiner's adaptation (from a screenplay credited to Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon) so perfectly capsulizes both the era in which it was produced (the tech-lite 1980s) and the time it's depicting (1959). We're now more than 50 years beyond the setting, and at a point when mid-budget coming-of-age dramas are rarer than pie-eating contests being thwarted by vomiting.
So, for any studio to choose to remake Stand by Me, it would be with the knowledge that the new version would need something extra brought to it, not only to stand apart from the spotless original, but simply to convince audiences to spend money on a non-blockbuster. Plus, this isn't a narrative that needs any additional bells and whistles beyond the ones on the train that almost kills the four boys at the heart of it all.
Speaking of, Stand by Me's core cast is equally irreplaceable as a full unit. While Stranger Things and even the pair of IT features showcase young casts that gel naturally, it's more of a rarity than a norm. But Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman and River Phoenix could have been real-life best friends from birth, such was their ample on-screen chemistry, and few actors are as intimidating in their quietness as Kiefer Sutherland is as the bullying antagonist, "Ace" Merrill.
Rob Reiner has called Stand by Me his favorite of the films he's directed, and he not only brought just the right amount of childish glee and pre-pubescent dread to the story, but also made the most of the novella as a blueprint. The film's best scenes were taken from the words King wrote, even with some tweaks involved, so it's not like there would be a ton for another writer and director to pull from that would make it wildly different from the O.G. version.
Long story short — which probably isn't ever a rule of thumb for Stephen King — go watch Stand by Me on Netflix while you still can!
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
