Messages and ValuesStand by me by Rob Reiner 1986

The Goonies by Richard Donner 1985

Thomas Larkin Alex Cole

Messages and values

The themes of films can also be called messages and values. This means ‘what is the movie telling us about the world?’.

Stand by me

Coming of age:

You can achieve anything

Childhood is important

Nothing lasts forever

The importance of being a good parent

Difference between myth and reality

Coming of age

This is shown when Gordie decides that no one is going to take the body and stands up against Ace and his gang

Also the use of the gun shows that the characters are growing up and realizing that life deals with dangerous issues.

The ability to achieve anything

This can be seen when the dysfunctional, young group are able to track down a lost, dead body in a forest. The forest is obvioulsy dangerous as the boy has died there, but they are able to overcome obstacles such as the train.

Childhood is important

This is shown in Stand by me because Gordie’s childhood is affecting him later on as the neglect and treatment he received from both of his parents at a younger age when his older brother was alive still is a lasting memory as when asleep at the campfire he is having flashbacks and nightmares, which cause him to doubt his ability and talents.

Myth Vs Reality

In Stand by me, myth tends to be overhauled by the actual reality of life. The children, initially

young and naïve believe that the journey they are about to embark on through the forest in search of

the body is a lot longer than It actually was. An exaggeration of their adventure, for their age and

characteristics a good achievement however it was no where near the distance they believed they

were or had travelled.

The Importance of Being a Good Parent

Gordies continual remembrance of the neglect and ill treatment his parents gave him when his older brother was around still haunts him and effects him years later. Also Teddy's dad is

known to have extravagant ways of looking after his son, maybe due his mental health but it is having an effect on his growth and

development as a child.

Both these examples illustrate how the child's future and personaly can be shaped from experiences and life at a young

age so parents must help and aid them in life to the best of their ability if they are to stand a reasonable chance at life.

Nothing Lasts Forever

As Stand by me draws to the end, we see the group of young boys, going their separate ways,

which we later learn was one of the last encounters they had as a group as they began to see less and less of each other and eventually lost contact, the famous line follows that Gordie never had friends

like he did when he was 12. Showing even the best and strongest friendships don’t last forever.

The Goonies

Coming of age

Loyalty and friendship

Determination

The underdog rises

Beauty is within

Coming of age

Coming of age is seen throughout the whole film. As the adventure develops they realize what adult life is like. This can be seen when they find the treasure and Mikey says not to take any of One eyed Willies treasure. This shows admiration as Mikey now understands the importance of respect.

Loyalty and Friendship

This can be seen within the group. They chose to stick together despite the dangerous journey they are on. For example, in the basement scene they shouldn’t be there as they have met the Fratelli’s and they threatened them and even the setting is creates a negative mood (dark and abandoned).

But they want to stay together and find the treasure all because they want to stop Mikey and

Brandon’s house from being knocked down.

Determination

Determination is an important theme in the Goonies. We see how they don’t give up even

though they face many challenges. Such as, the piano scene; they stay together and motivate Andy

to find out which key is which. When she does, they find an escape showing that the

determination results in rewards.

The Underdog

The theme of the underdog rising can be seen with many characters. Firstly at the beginning of the film, Mikey is

seen as quite a weak character: he’s asthmatic, picked on by his brother and his mum tells him he can’t even go out

side. But he leads the group to the treasure and takes charge. This can be seen when he says ‘it all starts here’ this shows how he realizes how important the journey is.

It can be seen with Chunk as well. He is a clumsy, funny character, ho at the start is teased by the others. But at

the end he helps save the day with Sloth. The fact that he became friends with Sloth despite his appearance shows

his maturity and the ability to not judge a book by its cover.

Beauty is within

Sloth is can be seen as a scary character through appearance and sound (loud scream) when we first see him. But he becomes a lovable character who

is really kind and misunderstood. He ends up overcoming this and even shows the Fratelli’s that he doesn’t care about them. By helping save the

day he becomes one of the group and the end shot shows this as well as we can see that they are all

together.

The End