Why I wanted to be Chris Chambers...

I must have been around 10years old when I first watched the movie that would be a backbone in my Top10 of all time.

Stand By Me from 1986, is defined as a ‘coming of age’ film, typical of the 80s, based on the short novel 'The Body' by Stephen King.

I immediately identified with Will Wheaton’s character ‘Gordie Lachance’, and yet aspired to be like River Phoenix’s character ‘Chris Chambers’. I certainly wanted to have an adventure similar to the one that that they encountered. 

My sister and I watched this film countless times as kids, so much so, that we can still recall quotes instantly to this day. 

 To quickly summarise, even though I don’t think there are many people around who haven’t seen it.. A grown up Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss), writes the story about the summer where he and his buddies went looking for the body of a missing boy. It was the last summer before they were interested in girls, the last summer before the group drifted apart as life started getting complicated.

The young, shy, sensitive Gordie finds comfort in his friends, especially Chris, as his parents are struggling to come to terms with the loss of Gordie’s older brother. Each of Gordie’s friends have their flaws, whether it be Chris, where is criminal family have a bad name, or Teddy (Corey Feldman) who has an abusive father, or Vern (Jerry O’Connell) who is overweight and goofy, making him the target for the groups abuse.

Although I hadn’t lost a big brother like Gordie, I had just encountered a bereavement in the family, and I guess I could relate with that sense of loss. Outwardly I may have seemed confident, but there was a definite sensitivity to my childhood. There was a hole in our family, which we didn’t really speak about. I wanted acceptance from my peers that I was normal like they were. All things which made me identify with Gordie.

Chris was from the other side of the tracks so to speak. From a family of criminals, he yearned to be better, but his surname dragged him back. He leads the group, he is passionate and brave, but opens up to show his sensitive side. He takes Gordie under his wing and acts as the older brother/ father figure missing from Gordie’s life. Gordie was creative and would clearly exceed his peers in life the movie, but he wanted acceptance from his best friend Chris. The relationship between the two is a driving factor in the movie.

Wheaton, once stated that the Director casted four young boys who were basically already the character they would be playing. Wheaton described himself as awkward and nerdy, that Phoenix was cool, smart and seemed like a father figure, that O’Connell was funny, and Feldman was an angry lost boy. This certainly must have helped the film’s authenticity, as these emotions and characteristics clearly come across on screen.

I had nothing in common with the background of Chris Chambers’ character. But I looked up to him. He was respected, he was courageous, and he was real. I loved the way he was on his feet to confront the knife wielding leader of the older gang ‘Ace’ – protecting and standing up for his friends, risking it all. I loved the way he urged Gordie to not ignore his talents. How he wouldn’t allow Teddy to risk his life playing chicken with the train, instead risking his own to save him from the tracks. I respected him for being a a leader, but always having time for his friends.

Ultimatley, I admired him for wanting to better himself.  

 One of the he final scenes in the film is Chris opening up to Gordie:

Chris:   I'm never gonna get out of this town am I, Gordie?
Gordie:   You can do anything you want, man.
Chris:   Yeah, sure. Give me some skin.
Gordie:   I'll see ya.
Chris:   Not if I see you first.

 

We then learn that he did get out of the town, and made a success of his life. But in typical Chris Chambers, he stood up for someone and was killed in the altercation. It is a humbling and heartbreaking moment, as Chris’s character fades from screen. You have belived in Chris for the whole movie. You had hoped he would make it out. His death in the plot felt like a death in real life to me when I was ten years old. To this day I feel real grief when I watch that scene.

 

The movie made River Phoenix a house hold name. I think the fact that Phoenix died not long after my sister and I had discovered this film in 1993 made things even more real, it was if River Phoenix was Chris Chambers in real life. He was a huge talent, and it would have been amazing to see the type of films he would have made in the years to come.

Stand By Me is the type of film I will watch again many times in my lifetime. The comical parts will make me laugh, the deeper aspects will make me reflect. I will watch it with my son when he is older, and I will be interested to see which character he resonates with. I hope it is a mix of Gordie and Chris, with a hint of Vern's good nature thrown in. Ultimately, I hope he finds friendship that will last lifetime, just like Gordie and Chris.