Stand by Me

Some movies transcend the qualities of objective judgment, and for me, this is one of them. Some may find it sappy or maudlin, but this speaks directly to me in a way words can't describe; the closing lines of the movie ("I never again had friends like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?") are heartbreaking and amazingly poignant to me.

The mother of all coming of age movies, the asthetics combined with the 50's music and original story make this a movie that belongs in everyone's childhood. Of course with Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, River Pheonix, John Cusack, and Wil Wheaton it's a clusterfuck of awesome 80's acting.

By the time we get there he won't even be dead anymore!

I didn't expect a movie about four boys growing up in a small town in the 50s to get such a powerful nostalgic reaction out of me, a girl who spent her childhood in 90s suburbs, but something about this film transcends the specifics of the setting and manages to tap into that universal bittersweet experience of childhood's end. It's very simple, in a good way. And how often do you get to see a film with such a fantastic and not-annoying cast of child actors? (5/5)

An era-defining masterpiece that just has that certain something. The storyline itself is nothing special, but the artistry is in the relationship the actors have with each other and the emotion they are able to put into the dialogue and scenes. I didn't grow up during this time period, but the struggles these characters face are relatable to anyone, which I think is what makes this such a nostalgic movie for most people.