Will Wheaton was impressively good in the popular 1986 movie Stand By Me, also with River Phoenix and Kiefer Sutherland. I believe this was the role that made him famous, years before Star Trek.
Stand By Me is one of my favorites!
Crazy that’s a Stephen King adaptation!
I liked Joaquin Phoenix’s brother’s character better in that film, though. He plays a child from an unstable family. He died an untimely death :(.