MovieChat Forums > Stand by Me (1986) Discussion > It's really eerie...(POSSIBLE SPOILER)

It's really eerie...(POSSIBLE SPOILER)

posted 8 years ago by petekrug17
13 replies | jump to latest

In the movie, at the end we're told that Chris Chambers died shortly before the main character Gordie begins writing about his childhood trip with his friends to find a dead body. (We also see it in a newspaper headline at the beginning of the film.) Gordie, however, is of course still alive. And, as far as we know, Teddy Duchamp and Vern Tessio, are still alive, although Gordie has lost contact with them. In real life, River Phoenix, who played Chris Chambers, died about seven years after this movie was made. Meanwhile, Wil Wheaton, who played the young Gordie, Corey Feldman, who played Teddy, and Jerry O'Connell, who played Vern, are still alive.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fountaincap 8 years ago

Yeah, I found that eerie as well, especially the last scene with Chris where he's walking away from Gordie and he turns and waves goodbye and then he actually fades out on-screen. Knowing what happened to the actor in real life makes that scene even sadder than it was intended to be. R.I.P.

[–] avortac4 (3744) 4 years ago

"..sadder than it was intended to be. "

How do you know how sad it was intended to be, and how do you measure such things anyway? Do you have a sad-o-meter or something?

Also, why would it be sad that someone's incarnation is not prolonged to include the pains and horrors of living in a decaying, old, failing, feeble, pain-filled body?

[–] Macgruber (165) 3 years ago

So a person dying of a drug overdose is not a sad thing because they no longer will experience pain?

[–] Im_your_Papi 8 years ago

This is one of those coincidences in movies in which fiction mirrors reality. But there's a few differences on how River and Chris Chambers died. Chris died in a noble cause trying to be a mediator between a dispute between to jackasses in which one of them pulled a knife and killing him. Chris was also in his 40's. But in River's case, he died young and died in a drug and alcohol related death under his own volition. While Chris died a hero, River became another statistic.

[–] cheesido 8 years ago

Yeah it's just a coincidence, in the book Vern and Teddy also die :(

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 8 years ago

Not Vern, just Teddy. He won *beep* Of the Year!

[–] Ditto-head 8 years ago

In the book, IIRC, Vern also died young, along with several other people, in a house fire. I remember Gordie stating that it was unknown who started it, but it was possibly caused by a lit cigarette dropped by a careless smoker.

[–] daveyh (625) 4 years ago

Almost equally eerie is that fact that Gordie and Vern grow up to be well adjusted adults (as far as we know) while Teddy continues to have a turbulent life.

[–] Mulletor (533) 4 years ago

I don't think Teddy continues to have a turbulent life given his background and demeanor. "He does odd jobs now" in his home town with a population of 1,200 or whatever it was doesn't sound that bad. He didn't do anything negative, he just didn't do much with his life.

[–] daveyh (625) 4 years ago

thanks for the reply. I thought they also mentioned him doing a stint for armed robbery too?

[–] Chara_Angel (133) 3 years ago

In Carrie I think he's mentioned to be working at the gas station, if I'm not mistaken.

[–] Gd5150 (11750) 3 years ago

Not to mention the eerie similarity of how will Wheaton was a tool in stand by me and he was a tool in tng.

I will give him credit he became pretty funny in Big Bang theory.