cinephile-27690 Yes, I think pre teenagers should see this movie. It is rated R because there's about a dozen F words and more cursing but it is about 12 year old boys! I have seen this over a dozen times(it was my favorite movie for a couple years)and I love it each time! I first saw this when I was 15 because I sheltered but any preteener alive should see it!It's funny, sad, and touching all at once. If you love this movie, see some other of the director's movies, like The Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, etc.

MichaelMRamey Stephen King is synonym with horror stories and rightfully so, but two of my favourite stories by him don't have anything to do with that genre. The first of course being Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and the second being Stand By Me. He as the ability to not only tell great stories, but to create such tremendous characters and that what this film is; a heavily character driven movie with child actors who can act.I've never felt such a strong connection to any characters before than this group of friends. Either you were one of those four kids or you knew someone who was one of those four kids. The dialogue is top notch and the scene that really hit me hardest was right at the end when it is discussed that they went to high school and none of these really spoke to each other again. It rings true that at one point you had these friends as a child and sometimes you just drift apart. They played such important roles in your growth only to be end up being distant memories. This film is the epitome of a story about growing up, there is none better in my opinion.

Pineapples25 So much has been said already, but this is a movie that not only stands the test of time, but grows with you as you age. I was the same age as the characters when this came out and I thought it was a cool story about running away with your friends. As an adult I realized it wasn't just about the death of a child named ray Brower, it was about the death of childhood and innocence. Just like the train, you can dodge it and try to escape it for a while, but eventually, time and age will hit you like a train and knock you out of your keds. As an adult with kids, I now watch it and it hurts thinking about my own middle schoolers growing up. But the thing I never thought much about was Gordie's parents. They mourn Denny so much that they fail to recognize the great kid they still have. As much as I hate to see them grow away from me, I know I need to cherish these moments and be happy. I owe it to myself and then.

Eric Stevenson This is a film based on one of Stephen King's works, albeit a shorter one. What makes this movie great is how authentic it is. My only complaint is that I don't like to see the image of these kids smoking. It's also a little too short, but still good. Over the years, I saw clips of this film and was certainly glad to see the whole thing. The movie is narrated by one of the characters as an adult kind of like "A Christmas Story" or "The Sandlot". I do love movies like that with feature kids acting so realistically. This takes place in the 1950's, but I feel as though it's truly timeless. It's basically one scene after another of these kids doing stuff like swimming, roasting marshmallows and running. I guess Stephen King is pretty fond of bullies. I am reminded of the thugs from "It" especially with how tough they were. With so many "Children Of The Corn" movies, great to see a wonderful Stephen King movie. ***1/2