This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Have Gun/Will Travel
Plot Overview
Successful writer Gordon “Gordie” Lachance
(Richard Dreyfuss) reminisces about his formative
years in Oregon. His football hero, older brother Denny (John
Cusack in cameo)
tragically died when Gordie (Wil Wheaton) was twelve. His parents
were unable to process being left with a kid whose pen was
purportedly powerfuller than Denny's mighty throw. He
fell in with three rough-and-ready compadres: tough guy Chris
(River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman) and scaredy-cat
Vern (Jerry O'Connell,) who encouraged him where his folks left
off. This story is about the four's adolescent adventure in the
“wilds” of Oregon, whose day is long gone; they worried
about bears but only saw a deer, and the guard dog was tame.
As scene after scene unfolds, the
author realizes he'll never get back the camaraderie of those
days, try as he might, no more than Vern is likely to recover his
buried jar of pennies sans map.
The 1959 school year is
looming for them about to start Junior High. The author narrates:
“It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of your
life, like busboys in a restaurant.” Gordie takes
college prep courses, and only Chris knuckles down to stick it out
with him. Chris's older brother Eyeball (Bradley Gregg) is beta dog
of a rival gang and a bad influence. Everyone thinks Chris
will be a failure at life, and he does make the papers reminding
Gordon how it once was.
Ideology
Sociologists tell us that the way to
feel fulfilled in life is to have a core group of close friends.
Friends are developed through spending time with them, lots of
time. Our corresponding scripture is (Prov. 18:24) “A man that hath
friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that
sticketh closer than a brother.” The gold standard in friends
is a brother with whom one grows up. Gordie & Denny lived under
the same roof, ate at the same table, went steelhead fishing
together, passed down/received articles of clothing, and followed
each other's interests. They were fast friends. Gordie also had
intimates in those three buddies of his. They had sleepovers
at each other's houses, whiled away time in their tree house
playing an interminable card game of their own devising, and
embarked on a two-day trek by foot on which, “We talked into
the night, the kind of talk that seemed important until you
discovered girls.” Their time was their's when school was
out. To take another example, from author Bill Scheft:
They both did forty-five minutes on the treadmills, although only thirty-six at the same time. The reflection of each other's company and its stirring silence was broken occasionally—“How's it going?” “What incline are you at?” “What should I do here?”—but neither of them wanted interruption. And it was crowded enough since they were joined by endorphins. (214–15)
Gordie & friends haven't quite made it to taking up with girls yet, but Scheft's story gives us an example of a non-platonic friendship, sticking “closer than a brother.”
“All right,” panted Sheila. “No funny stuff in the shower.”They made out in the car like kids until she pushed him out in front of the entrance to the Yale Club. (Scheft 216)
The next step they would be taking concerns interaction with the opposite sex. For a point of reference we'll cite Paul H. Landis writing In Defense of Dating:
It is quite logical to believe that some kind of dating is necessary to the development of the judgment and pair interaction that is at the root of real objectivity in mate selection. … ¶Those who have dated more than one person have a chance to compare and to learn some of the usual behavior patterns of members of the opposite sex. They learn to distinguish between those whose personalities seem to promise a durable compatibility and those whose personalities obviously do not. Dating is an exploratory experience through which young people learn. It no doubt contributes to the ability to feel at ease with the opposite sex and the love play sanctioned in dating may well be an important factor in the development of a normal heterosexual orientation in the psychosexual area. … ¶In most circles today, therefore, it is considered desirable that young people “circulate” rather than “go steady” from the beginning, … that some variety of dating experience is favorable to ultimate mate choice. The girl who is considered desirable as a date by a number of fellows is presumed to be the one most likely to be sought after in marriage. (223–4)
For a
biblical progression, we'll take, (Col.
2:21) “Touch not; taste not; handle not,” and
start with touching. In flashback Gordon and his brother
“Gimme a hug” in Denny's room. On the wall behind them
is a portrait pic of Denny with his prom date Jane hugging, whom he took
at his mom's instigation. There would necessarily have been a lot
of touch-dancing there. Gordie and his friends engage in rough housing,
horseplay, and physical bonding (“Give me some skin.”)
When the older bad boys progress to
girls, they go further. One says of the Connie Polermo chick that
after two months she wouldn't go any further than let him play with
her tits. One would call that second base. Another boy tells him,
“She's a Catholic, man. They're all like that. You want to
get laid, you gotta get yourself a Protestant.” …
“Jews are good.” At confession a priest would enjoin
self-control.
The next stage “taste,”
i.e. kiss, is illustrated in the
story of the tri-county pie eating contest. “Lardass …
created a complete and total barf-o-rama——when the
smell hit the crowd, … girlfriends barfed on
boyfriends—” Twelve-year-old boys would have
themselves “taste not” the oral emanations from a
girl. A little older and they'll indulge her.
It goes on to what is unclean, at least before tying the knot. A bad boy joke is told: “How do you know if a Frenchman has been in your yard?” Answer: “Your garbage can is cleaned out and your cat is pregnant.” Don't eat her out or knock her up before marriage. In other words, “Handle not” the genitals until later. Vern got married right out of high school, has a subsistence job, and raises a family. The implication is that he was adequately prepared for it. The narrator has two sons of his own.
Production Values
“” (1986) was directed by Rob Reiner. The screenplay was written by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans. It was based on the novella, ‘The Body’ by Stephen King. The cast features River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, John Cusack and Richard Dreyfuss. A lot of its actors now well known were as yet undiscovered at the making of this film. Child actors had the most screen time and were accordingly well coached.
It was certified R It had an excellent and stirring soundtrack by Jack Nitzsche, which was accompanied by affecting and stylish 50's songs. The kids smoked and cussed, but they were kids without supervision. It was set in Oregon, but the actors' accents didn't match. Runtime is 1½ hours.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
The background included a tacit presence of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and an enigmatic Shiloh church. In the 1950's religion was more a part of peoples' lives, and a sociable grocer even quotes the Bible, or tries to.
This is a movie for all (mature) ages. I found it very touching. There are in fact cougars sometimes prowling in Oregon near where I live.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for Groups. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Five stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.
Landis, Paul H. Making the Most of Marriage. New York: Meredith Publishing, 1965. Print.
Scheft, Bill. The Ringer. Copyright © 2002 by Bill Scheft. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. first edition. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org