uring the summer of 1959 in Castle Rock, Oregon, Gordie (Wil Wheaton) thoroughly enjoys his leisure time with troublemaking pals Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O’Connell). They hang out in a treehouse, smoking, playing cards, and flipping through comics. They’re fairly conventional kids, behaving immaturely, teasing one another, and dealing with small-town problems – ranging from abusive parents, to a death in the family that causes various levels of emotional neglect, to bad reputations, to bullies, to toying with a loaded gun.

“You guys wanna go see a dead body?” Relative normalcy will soon disappear, however, when Vern hears about the possible location of a missing 12-year-old boy named Ray. Of course, as they begin a multiple-day trek some 20 or 30 miles into a neighboring city to locate the corpse, they’ll contend with standard misadventures such as forgotten resources, daring train track exploits, and all manner of juvenile competitions – including foot races and trespassing and various superstitions. Even with a potentially scary prize at the end of their odyssey, thoughts often wander toward the humorously mundane – such as what kind of an animal Goofy is supposed to be.

Narrated by Gordie as an adult (Richard Dreyfus), this alternatingly lighthearted and dour, slice-of-life tale is quite authentic and natural. The dialogue is incredibly well-written, allowing the characters to really come alive; they’re believable and sincere in a way that isn’t often depicted onscreen, engaging in casual conversations and observations brimming with little truths. It’s particularly unique that the stars are child actors, not only doing an excellent job to be convincing, but also that this isn’t exactly a child-friendly picture. The story is actually maturer and adult-oriented, as the kids curse, scrap, wrestle with living in the shadow of siblings, and attempt to act grown-up – actions which mirror nicely against a group of older boys, violence-prone ruffians led by the brutish Ace Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland).

In the hands of director Rob Reiner (working from an adaptation of a Stephen King novella), the pacing is swift, making the most of more uneventful recreation alongside suspenseful encounters. Curiously, even when the inseparable foursome camp out and listen to a story (presented in a visual aside for an over-the-top pie-eating-contest yarn), the focus is on the entertainment value of genuineness. There’s creativity and revenge-fantasy, but primarily it’s just youngsters paling around and dwelling on the insecurities and unknowns of being children – or the implications of familial notorieties, the possibilities for escape from the limited potential of financial insignificance, and how successful futures feel impossible for people caught in oppressive social cycles. “Act your age!”

It certainly helps that the kids’ chats often include nostalgic components, presided over by an upbeat soundtrack from the era. It’s perhaps akin to a picture like “The Goonies,” boasting a Spielbergian flavor (and sense of adventure, though missing the obvious comedy) but with greater severity from darker scenarios and fouler language. Some of the narration is a bit of a misstep, but the power of this coming-of-age story is unmissable; a shared experience between friends brings forth suppressed feelings from traumatic events and uncommon, enduring camaraderie, lending to the shaping of values and character. The incredibly formative years on display are both fantastic and ordinary, which is undoubtedly what makes this film so enjoyable. “We got dibs!”

– Mike Massie