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After joining Screen Rant in January 2025, Guy became a Senior Features Writer in March of the same year, and now specializes in features about classic TV shows. With several years' experience writing for and editing TV, film and music publications, his areas of expertise include a wide range of genres, from comedies, animated series, and crime dramas, to Westerns and political thrillers.
11.22.63 might be the Stephen King adaptation that’s currently riding high in the Netflix chart, but this exhilarating period drama set at the turn of the 1960s is just another reminder to check out Rob Reiner’s classic coming-of-age tale Stand by Me. The 1986 movie was adapted from King’s novella The Body, which was first published in 1982.
If 11.22.63 has a winning cast, featuring the likes of James Franco and Cherry Jones, and George MacKay, then Stand by Me’s just leads are on a different plane altogether. River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell came to define a generation with their breakout performances in this timelessly endearing story of teenage camaraderie.
However we rank Rob Reiner’s best movies, Stand by Me is virtually guaranteed to be right up there, alongside fellow ‘80s classics This Is Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally…. No matter how many times you see it, the film never stops being funny, charming, and warmly nostalgic. Now, it’s on Netflix for audiences to enjoy all over again.
Stephen King’s 11.22.63 Has Reached Number 2 On The Netflix Chart
MovieStillsDBSince arriving on the streaming platform at the start of January 2026, 11.22.63 has shot straight up Netflix’s chart for TV shows in the United States. Overtaking big-hitters like Stranger Things and Emily in Paris, it’s settled at the number two spot for the past week, just behind Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson’s mystery thriller His & Hers.
The show’s sublime rendering of early-1960s period details has surely played a major part in its popularity, tapping into the kind of mid-century nostalgia that many of the best Stephen King stories trade in. By the same token, Stand by Me is a delightful slice of pre-Beatles Americana, set in the summer of 1959.
Stand By Me Is The Best Stephen King Adaptation Currently On Netflix
Stand by Me has been streaming on Netflix since September 2024, but it might well have passed many viewers by prior to the sudden success of 11.22.63. Nevertheless, out of the nine Stephen King adaptations currently available on the platform to stream in the United States, Rob Reiner’s classic movie remains the best.
The likes of Gerald’s Game might be more suspenseful, while horror fans will inevitably find Castle Rock far more frightening. But neither of these titles can compete with the timeless appeal of a story about four boys trekking through forest in search of a dead body, in the midst of their heady teenage years.
Rob Reiner’s Coming-Of-Age Classic Is A Must-Watch For Fans Of 11.22.63
The horrifying tragedy of Rob Reiner’s recent death brings added poignancy to a rewatch of Stand by Me, particularly in light of how Reiner served as a surrogate father figure to the young male actors he was directing while making the movie. Moreover, it will be of special interest to anyone who enjoys 11.22.63’s set and costume designs.
Both screen adaptations manage to render the profound affection Stephen King has for the culture of his youth in the late 1950s and 1960s in breathtaking fashion. 11.22.63 might offer up more thrills, but Stand by Me goes deeper into the heart of what it meant to be growing up in this pivotal era of American history.
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Stand by Me
10/10
Release Date August 22, 1986
Runtime 89 minutes
Director Rob Reiner
Producers Andrew Scheinman
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River Phoenix
Chris Chambers
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English (US) ·