‘Stand by Me’ at 40: Rob Reiner’s bittersweet portrait of childhood memoryIt’s rare to find a movie as special as Stand By Me, one that hits all the right notes in stirring up emotion without coming across too sentimental or corny. With Rob Reiner in charge of direction, though, there was never any risk of Stephen King’s story becoming anything less than a heartfelt yet unflinching portrait of adolescence, one bound to leave a lasting impact on its viewers. I remember first watching Stand By Me one lazy weekend afternoon as a teenager, perhaps just a few years older than the boys in the film. “It happens sometimes, friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant,” he says. Stand By Me perfectly encapsulates that odd feeling of childhood nostalgia that can both amuse and haunt our memories.