People tend to overlook, the fact that many in this generation were raised by World War 2 veterans with undiagnosed PTSD, It's likely that every one of these kids' fathers suffered in that way

RIP, River Phoenix, 1970-1993.

Literally an all star cast: River Phoenix (RIP), Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, John Cusack, Kiefer Sutherland, and Richard Dreyfuss. This is still the BEST adaptation of a Stephen King story, ever. Just a perfect movie. I’m so happy for you guys that you watched it.

Some of the best child actors who deserved better doing epic work

One of my favorite movies. The ending of River Phoenix fading away is moving and haunting. RIP

I love this classic, and it's a great example of how kids back then could interact and actually go out and play, leave the house all day and parents didn't really worry. We had a lot of freedoms back then that kids today just don't.

This story was based on King's childhood. The story itself is fiction, but the kids were real people; Chris Chambers was King's best friend, and he died just the way the story says he did. When the film was made, King was invited to a screening. When it was over, he had to go out into the hall and cry, it was so spot on. The novella includes (IIRC) three stories by Gordie (one of which is "The Revenge of Lardass Hogan"), all of which were stories King wrote when he was young before he became a professional writer. The novella is widely considered one of the greatest American short stories of the 20th century. (It's included in King's book "Four Seasons". There are four pieces in the book, three of which have been made into films: "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption", "The Body", and "Apt Pupil". The fourth is "The Breathing Method", which is the one that's closes to what most people think of as a Stephen King story. That one is body horror, quite terrifying.) Rob Reiner has said that casting a film is the most important thing a director can do to make it work. In order to make this the best film he could, he looked for kids who embodied the characters. River Phoenix was level-headed and compassionate; Corey Feldman was crazy and fucked up (still is); Jerry O'Connell was sweet and naive; and Wil Wheaton was introverted and depressed, from being psychologically abused and mistreated by his parents, who used him as a meal ticket. (He didn't want to be an actor; his parents pushed him into it so they could live off his earnings.) Rob tried to be there as a father figure for them, and says he really enjoyed working with them.

Keep in mind, we are seeing things through Gordie's eyes. His eyes as a kid and his eyes years later as an adult looking back. So the parents being a bit like Zombies and emotionless speaks to their deep depression but also what Gordie was seeing day after day with them.

I hear Kiefer Sutherland was teaching River Phoenix how to play stand by me on guitar while filming the movie. Kiefer Sutherland the main antagonist was only 17 years old in this movie.

Cam during the puking scene: PRICELESS!!!

This movie came out in August of 1986, a few weeks before I started 5th grade. By the time it came out on video (VHS) a few months later, most of the boys in my class were doing the "two for flinching!" shtick. It got bad enough that the teachers had to step in and lecture the class on how it was inappropriate to punch someone twice just because they flinched when you threatened to poke them in the eye. No one was suspended or sent to the principal's office, but we were all apparently smart enough to save future "two for flinchings" for the playground at recess, where no one gave a damn what you did so long as you didn't leave school premises, and didn't get hurt badly enough to need an ambulance. The 1980s were a different time.

I just had a dream about Wil Wheaton last night! I met him when we were both teens. I wrote an article for Bop! magazine. (Those of you that are old enough to remember) It was called "Meetin' Wheaton"!

Those memories will still be there 40-50 years later…

As an older guy, I appreciate the opinions of a younger view of a movie that takes place in an era when I was just a boy. You two always have excellent and inciteful comments and your scoring system is usually right on. Great sense and knowledge for dissecting a lot of great movies. Enjoy watching your reactions to movies that I have seen many times. Keep them coming.

Gun safety 101, un-loaded is NOT un-loaded until the chamber is cleared, and the safety is on. (And you're right, keep your finger OFF the trigger until you're ready to fire!

Bruh, watching Cameron’s reaction to the vomiting scenes was one of the hilarious reactions I’ve seen 😂😂😂

Vern did OK. He dated Sidney Presscott in college and married present day Mystique.

Two characters to highlight: Denny, portrayed by John Cusack, was used sparingly, but was so well written that the cameo-like screen-time conveyed more information about the relationship dynamics in the home than any expositional dialogue could have. Also, Gordie, portrayed by Wil Wheaton, was powerful, relatable, and authentically believable. Respect to the actor, but certainly a missed opportunity for Star Trek: TNG who squandered this level of talent by not writing stronger narratives showcasing Mr. Wheaton's range, and instead turned "Shut up, Wesley!" into a trope.

OMG the pie eating scene.. Cam had me dying!!!

A perfect film. It is such a time capsule of that era while still being timeless. A glimpse into my dad‘s childhood. Nostalgia for my own 80,s childhood. And most of all, some perspective into my two boys current childhood. Some things change, something’s don’t. BTW Thanks for all the reactions. (And the sh!!!ty puns). I love seeing all of these movies for the first time again

This film really does represent how free we were when we were kids. We would be gone all day as long as we were home when the street lights went out. Our parents really were never worried unless we weren’t home on time.

Great reaction guy’s. This movie tugs at my heart strings every time. I agree that although all of the kids did a great job in this River Phoenix was just fantastic.

Yes.. a different time indeed!! Now.. in the movie.. it's the 50's.. but life was basically the exact same in the 80's. Well. for kids anyways!! Even in the 80's.. you took off with friends and would be gone all day.. well.. until sundown. Just out having adventures.. leaving miles away from home on bikes.. no cell phones.. no parents telling you what to do.. I MISS IT!! lol

My 1st time reacting to you guys. Really like your commentary through the movie. Hilarious 😂 Have you ever seen Goonies? Another 80's classic that's really good.

They have Stand By Me day in Brownsville Oregon aka Castlerock every July 23rd. They do a pie eating contest and show the movie in the park. It's fun, for about an hour.

I met my BFF at the age of 12, in 1987. She moved away about 9 months after we met. You would have thought she'd died for how devastated I was ( that age is recognized in the study of human development as the time when humans begin prioritizing social relationships above familial relationships, and those kinds of friendships are most impactful and important.) We kept in touch as pen pals all through high school, and then email came along not long after we graduated, and now here we are, almost 40 years later. We live across the country from each other, but we still text, email, facetime, and see each other whenever we can. We will still turn each other on to whatever book or tv series we're currently into and it's just really so amazing to have that sort of lifelong friend. And the first show we did that with? Star Trek: The Next Generation, which featured Wil Wheaton, aka Gordie from this movie.

Really liked your reaction on this. One of my favourite movies, with an incredible performance by River Phoenix you're right, and lots of very quotable moments. Great job.

I'd like to recommend another great coming-of-age movie you might want to react to. The Sandlot (1993) is nostalgic, moving and has an uplifting tone overall.

Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss who you saw in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

This is one of those "R" films that I would be fine playing towards a PG/PG-13 audience. So sweet, funny and touching.

Wow.....this brings back childhood memories. To this day I still think kids (especially boys) miss something in life by not growing up out in the countryside. For many, I think it builds character at an early age. And....I guess I'm showing my age by thinking that climbing boulders, building dams in the creek, letting the train run over the pennies you put on the track, learning how to pick up a non-poisonous snake (right behind their head), immediately recognizing poison ivy and getting sprayed by skunks is more relevant in learning about life than fighting imaginary foes with imaginary swords or rocket launchers. Oh well......a time gone by, I guess.

Yea friendships from childhood are usually deeper, good closing comments btw

LOVE this movie. It showed Stephen King had so much depth to his writing….favorite quote, “see u later”……”not if I see you first…” RIP River Phoenix 😑

The kid in the glasses is Corey Feldman, a Frog brother in Lost Boys

I haven’t been to your channel since my brother passed. He loved your channel and your review of My Cousin Vinny almost killed us. Anyway, you guys are a hoot and this was one of my brother’s favorites. Thanks for the review!

Love your genuine reaction. Also love your ability to lay out what you think and how the movie accomplished all that in you. Thanks!

There are a ton of references to this throughout movies and TV shows ever since, many in unexpected places. Won't mention any to avoid spoilers, but the number of them is absolutely crazy.

He's literally like a cannon loading up! LMAO

I have to say, the barf-o-rama was _not_ the first thing that came to my mind, when this video popped up. Sincerely! It was maybe the fifth thing. 😄 Fun reaction, as well as nice and thoughtful. This movie certainly brings all of that out. It does hit differently when watching it at different times in life. That’s not less or more, but just different, and it always makes it worth watching.

Childhoods were completely different in those days. I'm a 90's kid myself and I'm so glad I didn't have any computers or smartphones back then. Most of my free time was spent outside with my friends from 9 AM to 9 PM. It was the best time ever.

I love this movie and actors !

Sadly during this filming, young Corey Feldman was being SA by Hollywood elites and introduced to narcotics. He was fired from The Lost Boys for his dr@g abuse, but was hired back with the insistence of his best friend and lost Boys co star Corey Heim who was also SA and a heavy narcotic user in his young teen years into adulthood.

Nice reaction guys. If you want to read it, it is one of the stories in the book “Different Seasons.” Also, in case you didn’t know, River was Joaquin Phoenix’s big brother. River said in Interviews that his brother was the real actor in the family. I thought he was just bring a good big brother, but over the years Joaquin has really soared!

Ace does end up doing four years in Shawshank. Alas, not for his behavior here. But at least he gets it. (Ref: Needful Things book).

20:27 God bless you cam! 😅

RIP River. Wil Wheaton is awesome though :) Young John Cusack and Keifer, wow. (ps. people may think you guys are soft but I personally think it's for the best that guys your age are so much more mature and responsible than they were ;)

Fun fact Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman Was both in the lost boys if you did not know This movie is a timeless classic I don't think it could ever be redone everThese characters are very relatible in many ways great reaction

By the way, at 11:20, no they weren't talking about an episode of "Mickey Mouse." You might want to listen to it again.

Oh thank you!! Cam & Zay reacting to my all-time favorite movie!! This has made my day better :)

Based on a King novella called "The Body" published in King's 1982 collection Different Seasons.

The dead kid Ray is the same kid in the Big Lebowski - the one whose paper was in the back seat and was interrogated by Walter.

Great reaction to a very touching movie, guys!

One of the best reactions to this movie I’ve ever seen……thanks guys❤❤❤

As an old man I can tell you this Cam & Zay never ever let people know something bothers you.

I THINK YOU MISSED IT!!! The reason they said yes to watchingThe Mickey Mouse Club is because the Mousketteer Annette Funicello was really starting to...um...develope. And oh boy, a generation of young boys noticed.

I got to say this before i forget. Cam & Zay and Chris & Gordon became the same people for that 1 second that the gun went off on accident. It was so unique that i have almost no words to describe it that fit. We could actually swap the characters heads with reactors heads in post editing and there would've been no noticeable change😂

Rest in peace River Phoenix...another one gone far too soon. Kurt Cobain used to dedicate "Jesus doesn't want me for a sunbeam" at live shows in 1994. Then he was taken from us too.

Always enjoy your reactions. This was a great movie for you guys to see! Thanks for all the humor and emotions from the both of you. 'Til next time.

The ending to this movie is so real. Life ain't no fairy tale that's for sure. People die & people drift apart. and on a side note - this isn't just some of the best child-acting of all time - it's some of the best acting. period. The sad scenes hit really hard

I'm rather thankful I was growing up before cellphones became "smart." My girlfriends and I spent most of our childhood/teen years playing/spending time outside. I just hope parents of young children create a balance of both for their kids. Some of the best memories I have are from outdoor adventures, not being glued to a screen.

This novella is in a collection of four novellas called "Different Seasons." It also contains two other absolute King classics: Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil. Definitely required reading for any King fan!

STEPHEN KING RULES!!!!!!!!!!!

Big cheers to who taught the kid on the left about guns! Real and hilarious!

38:27 exactly. So well put, Cam.

When my younger uncle died in WWII, my grandfather said to his oldest son "It should've been you!".😪😪😪😵😵😵 Oldest uncle wound up serving for life! Buried with 12 gun salute at the ALAMO!!❤❤❤❤❤

I KNEW Cam was going to dry heave and have to turn away during the the barf-o-rama. For a second, I thought he was about to join in 🤢 Enjoyed watching this reaction - one of my faves to watch.

"EVERY CHILD MUST BE WANTED"!!!❤❤❤❤

You guys need to do all the 80's movies,the breakfast club,weird science,16 candles,ferris bueller

Awesome reaction of my favorite movie!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

Bless you guys doing this reaction. My absolute favorite. ❤️🥹

River Phoenix starred in another film around the same period as "Stand By Me," called "Little Nikita."

I experienced the same thing with the deer when i was backpacking in Oregon by myself years ago and it blew me away when i saw it in this movie which is one of my favorites . I thought we were going to loose you for real Cam during the VOMITORIUM scene ......but i laughed so hard.....sorry .

I love y’all so so much!!!! LOL!!! I was waiting for the vomit scene and wondering…. You always make me laugh when I need a laugh the most. This movie is (you probably already know) is based on a short story called “The Body” in an anthology called “Different Seasons” and it’s brilliant. The kid who played roly poly Verne actually turned into a hunk. He played Sidney’s boyfriend in “Scream 2”. Really a good looking guy. Anyway, wonderful reaction and thank you for the laughter……

One of my favorite childhood movies. It's such a blast

LOL! I was waiting for Cam to gag from the pie eating contest!!!

King cried and paused and had to leave the room when he saw this movie because he told Reiner it was the best interpretation of his books into film he had ever seen. Based on the book 'The Body' by King....

I'm 59, and still remember those friends that I had in elementary, and junior high. It was so good to hear both of you acknowledge the point of this movie. About true friendship, regardless of the situation. At the time, you think you'll never go your separate ways with these friends of your yourh. Those friendships will always hold a dear place in your heart. Because those are the friendships that shaped who you are today. My best friend to this day, is someone I've known since the 8th grade. He is the only person that I talk to from my past. It's rare to have more than one friend from your childhood that you are still in close contact with. Great reaction guys.

Yup.❤

I have a friend whose finger was re-attached after an automobile accident and they used leeches to keep her blood circulating. It saved her finger but I was freaked out when she told me of the treatment!!! Good reaction ... thanks!

I was born in 1964 watching you youngsters watch this has made my day..lovelovelove ❤️✌🏻🌷

This movie came out in elementary school for me: hits home for me a lot as i lost my older brother in high school tragically (was the talk of the small town), it shattered our family... and every holiday wasn't the same anymore, and no more vacations. It took a while to be a family again, probably b/c we didnt take the therapy route like Gordies family. I also minored in English during college (creative writing).

I was recently in Oregon to go check out the places they filmed this at... I walked all the trails they walked, I stayed about 5 minutes away from Brownsville which is the town they lived in the movie, they just called it Castlerock in the movie. I sat underneath the bridge they walk across at the very end of the film when they made it home and I met an old man who was there when the film was being made, and he said he hung out with all of them during the filming and had some crazy stories to tell me. This is by far my favorite movie of all time and to walk the same trails that they walked was unreal. Brownsville is an amazing place. The only place I couldn't visit was the bridge they run away from the train on, that part was filmed in California.

The book this is based on "The Body" is part of a novella series of 4 stories called Different Seasons. Two other stories in that were made into films. One was The Shawshank Redemption. The other was Apt Pupal.

Excellent reaction/reviews by both of you. I’m a Gen Xer so was about the age of these main actors in 86. SO many 80s/90s movies are great like this. Hope you get around to checking more of em out. Nice job!

Awesome movie and awesome reaction. Also Camerons gag reflex is hilarious. We need you to react to more movies that will exercise his gag reflex. 🤣

Next you need to watch *The Lost Boys* also starring *Kiefer Sutherland* (Ace) and *Corey Feldman* (Teddy).

For me, this movie and soundtrack defined that summer!

Gordon literally got the w by passing a speech check after dodging the train and having a leech on his balls. "No Ace, just you" *(Speech 100/100)*

I don't know if anybody else mentioned this yet but it's really kind of haunting that the kids in this film had similar character endings to the people who played them. Teddy ended up being too f***** up to get very far in life, and that's exactly what happened to Corey Feldman because of the abuse he suffered in the industry. Vern just kind of had a decent life and more or less settled down into a normal existence, which is pretty much what happened to Jerry O'Connell, who had a few decent acting jobs in shows like Sliders and Crossing Jordan, but was never like the huge star of anything or anything like that. And then of course Wil Wheaton, who, similar to his character, became a writer (blogger) and kind of a philosopher, and is very celebrated in his world of sci-fi conventions and all of that stuff. And then of course there's River Phoenix.. who died young and tragically, and whose abilities show that he would have been one of the greatest actors of his generation if he had lived. Really kind of disturbing and creepy and very sad.

I laughed so much at Cam at the vomit scene, that is me as well. Can’t handle it! 😅 I was 10 when this came out and I watched the hell out of this on VHS. Still a favourite movie. Such a great one!

River phoenix❤❤

The Family Guy references were when they were all up in the treehouse (like in the beginning of the movie), young Cleveland comes up in the treehouse freaking out “I’ve done seen a dead body!” (After everyone else makes him come up in a more stereotypical way).

Hey Guys ... Josh here .. great reaction it's always a pleasure to see Cam trying to not to gag .. we know it's your weakness now cam hahaha

River was so many things to so many people and was a generational talent that got struck down before we got to see what he could really do and was truly capable of. The fact he was this good, this young leaves me gobsmacked. They all were. Corey Feldman before he became a pop cultural punchline shows he was a crazy great dramatic young actor who should've gone on to better things. But, for all of River's greatness, his zeitgeist crowd pleasing moment in the sun was being young Indiana Jones at the start of Last Crusade. He absolutely crushes it playing not just Indy, but doing the best Harrison impression. Phoenix akao played Ford's son in The Masquito Coast and steals every scene he's in from Ford. River was a human cheat code of talent and it was a real waste we didn't get thirty plus more years of movies from my man. He was my favorite actor from that era. River RIP

Great choice!

One of my favorites movies! I grew up with this movie. I think I seen it over 100 times by now! lol

He didn't tell Vern go get the comb, he said "forget it" 😂

RIP Donnald Sutherland. 💐 Keith Sutherland's father.

River Phoenix was going to be a mega star such a loss

Running on Empty is another movie worth reacting to starring River Phoenix.