(From left to right: Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton & Dan Pasternack following a screening of Stand by Me at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium in Lynn, Massachusetts on December 6, 2025)
Last night, my friend Don Hammontree and I went to the Lynn Memorial Auditorium in Lynn, MA for a 40th anniversary screening of Stand by Me. Following the screening, there was a conversation between the film's surviving stars Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman and Wil Wheaton which was "moderated" by Dan Pasternack. Back in October, I saw Pasternack "moderate" the proceedings during the screening of the John Candy documentary I Like Me at the Shubert Theatre in Boston.
Before I get to said proceedings, a few words are in order about Lynn, MA. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean less than 5 miles north of Boston, I worked in Lynn at a vocational rehab agency in 2001-2002. Lynn does not have the best of reputations. When I told people I worked in Lynn, the invariable response would be, "Lynn! Lynn! City of Sin!" although this reputation is probably unwarranted and outdated by at least a century.
To the best of my recollection, it has been close to 20 years since I last set foot in Lynn, and it was the first time I had ever been there during the evening hours. It simultaneously looked both familiar and unfamiliar.
This would be my third time seeing Stand by Me on the big screen. I first saw Stand by Me in September 1986 during my first week of high school when I lived in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It would be nearly 36 years before I saw it again on the big screen at the Somerville Theatre in August 2022 as part of a double feature with On Golden Pond. Having seen it just over 3 years ago, I would not have ventured up to Lynn to see it again if not for the fact O'Connell, Feldman and Wheaton would be on hand.
As mentioned, I first saw Stand by Me during my first week of high school. Although the film, based on Stephen King's The Body, was set in the late 1950s, it carried an extraordinary resonance with people in my age group who were starting in their teens. We could relate to O'Connell, Feldman, Wheaton and Phoenix because they were in our age group rather than adults playing teenagers. Today, O'Connell, Feldman and Wheaton are in their early 50s and firmly ensconced in middle age. Except, of course, for Phoenix who died in 1993 at the age of 23. It is eerie to know that River Phoenix has been dead longer than he was alive.
When I view Stand by Me, I am most struck by the chemistry between Wheaton (Gordie LaChance) and Phoenix (Chris Chambers) as the two take turns comforting each other. Their brotherly love is deeply moving and resonant.
However, with last night's viewing, it was O'Connell's portrayal of Vern Tessio which received the biggest response from the audience with nearly all his lines greeted with uproarious laughter. I always viewed Vern as the most one-dimensional character of the four teens. Don't get me wrong. O'Connell did a good job in playing this one-dimensional character, but for me he was the least relatable character.
Following the screening, Pasternack came out on stage and introduced O'Connell, Feldman and Wheaton. Unlike the proceedings at the Shubert with the John Candy documentary where the ushers demanded we put away our phones, we were encouraged to use them especially by O'Connell.
O'Connell, 51, was the jokester of the group who at various points tossed combs and cherry pez to the audience while repeatedly reminding everyone that he was married to a supermodel. He is the classic case of the ugly duckling turning into a swan and I was struck how he towered over Feldman.
Feldman, 54, was equally full of high-energy gregariousness. He playfully sparred with O'Connell and frequently made a point to suggest Goonies was a superior movie to Stand by Me. Yet unlike O'Connell, Feldman had moments of introspection as when he told us he was forced into acting by his parents at the age of 3 and how he did not have a lot of say in his life as these "weren't my dreams."
Of course, celebrity had its perks. During the making of Stand by Me, Feldman would receive messages at the hotel from none other than Michael Jackson. Feldman recounted that Jackson had viewed an early version of Stand by Me when it is still going by the working title of The Body. The movie's producers had evidently wanted Jackson to either record an original song for the movie or cover a song like "Stand by Me" or "Rockin' Robin". Whatever their plans, I'm glad this did not come to pass. Stand by Me needed music from this period. Any recordings by Michael Jackson, who was in his infancy, would not have served the film well.
While Wheaton, 53, was in good humor he was the most self-contained and thoughtful of the trio. Wheaton saw a great deal of himself in Gordie Lachance owing to the ongoing verbal abuse from his father which he said was enabled by his mother. When watching the film again, he noted the sadness in his eyes.
There were three things which unified all three men - the summer they spent together 40 years ago, that River Phoenix was their leader and director Rob Reiner's trust in them. As child actors, O'Connell, Feldman and Wheaton seldom interacted with kids their own age on a social basis. Stand by Me gave them the chance to do this before and during the filming. It is easy to see why their friendship is still firm 40 years later.
Feldman noted that River Phoenix was from a very tight knit family and had the strongest sense of how to approach things. He further noted that Phoenix made a point of frequently touching other cast members on their shoulders during the course of the film. It was something I noticed while watching the film again. It helped give Phoenix his gravitas and maturity beyond his years. I would be remiss if I didn't mention there was an empty chair on stage placed there in his honor.
They were also effusive in their praise of Rob Reiner both as a director and as a mentor in how he encouraged their thoughts and growth as an actor. O'Connell said Reiner provided constructive criticism in how to act in a scene where your character has no lines. He specifically cited the confrontation between Teddy Duchamp (Feldman) and the junkyard man and Reiner asked him how he would react if he heard someone call his friend a loony. From that, O'Connell learned that a scene could revolve around his eyes without saying a single word.
The only time Reiner got cross was when O'Connell and Wheaton weren't taking the train scene seriously because they were they were safe. Reiner then cursed them out which made both of them cry. One could construe this as abusive behavior. However, Reiner immediately comforted them following the scene.
The evening concluded with the cast showing some bloopers caught on film (i.e. a microphone falling from O'Connell's pocket & Wheaton's hair going from wet to dry back to wet) and recreating a couple of scenes from the film. These recreations weren't very good by O'Connell's own admission. But what it showed was how comfortable and at ease these three men are in each other's company. After 40 years, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman and Wil Wheaton still stand by each other.
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