In the film “The Goonies” a group of young friends residing in Astoria, Oregon are spending their last weekend together. Come Monday morning all of the property in the area in which they live, known as the ‘goon docks,’ will be foreclosed on by Mr. Perkins (Curtis Hanson). The friends are: the ever optimistic Mikey Walsh portrayed by Oscar nominee Sean Astin (Stranger Things); Chunk (Jeff Cohen), who is prone to wild exaggeration; the constantly talking Mouth played by Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys) and Data (Ke Huy Quan), who creates gadgets that never work exactly as they’re supposed to.
A short while into the film Mrs. Walsh (Mary Ellen Trainor) has arrived home with Rosalita, a woman who is going to help her pack up the house for the move. The two ladies go out to run some errands and Mrs. Walsh leaves Mikey’s older brother Brand in charge. The role of Brand is acted by Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Milk). Mr. Walsh (Keith Walker) is the curator of the town’s museum, and he has items in the attic that are not currently on display. The friends decide to go into the attic, and, while up there, they come across a map that supposedly leads to a considerable pirate’s treasure. Mikey relates the story to his friends that his father told him about the treasure. Before Brand knows what’s happening, the friends have tied him up and go off in search of the legend of the Pirate’s gold. (As an aside: The part of Rosalita, albeit a small one, was played by Emmy nominee Lupe Ontiveros (As Good As It Gets).
Unbeknownst to the friends, a criminal family, the Fratellis, are on the loose. Francis portrayed by Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos), and Mama played by Oscar nominee Anne Ramsey (Throw Momma from the Train), have just helped break Jake (Robert Davi) out of jail. There is a fourth member of the family, Sloth, whose face is severely deformed. He has incredible strength and the family keeps him chained up, more for their own protection than anything else. The character is played by the late professional football player, John Matuszak, who won two Super Bowl championships while playing for The Raiders.
In addition to Brand, while the friends are in pursuit of the treasure, two of Brand’s friends from high school get roped into the adventure: Andy (Kerri Green), who he has a crush on, and her friend Stef played by Emmy winner Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife). The problem for the friends, is the starting off point to go in search of the treasure, is directly underneath the place where the Fratellis are hiding out. Can the friends find the treasure, thwart the Fratellis, and save their houses from being foreclosed on?
Trivia buffs take note: Sean Astin kept the map the Kids used to search for the treasure. His mother, Oscar winner Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker), thinking it was garbage threw it away. John Matusak’s makeup for the Sloth character, took five hours a day to apply. The film marked Josh Brolin’s screen debut. Emmy and two time Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper (Mad About You), co-wrote the film’s theme song “Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough.” In the two part music video for the song, which is twelve minutes in length, Steven Spielberg has a cameo appearance. Furthermore in the music video: Lauper plays a new “Goonies” recruit; the pop group ‘The Bangles’ play pirates; and professional wrestlers Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Iron Shiek and Nikolai Volkoff appear as villains. Andre the Giant is also in the video and he takes on the role of the hero. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 2017.
“The Goonies” was directed by Emmy nominee Richard Donner (Superman II). The screenplay was written by BAFTA winner Chris Columbus (The Help), based off of a story by three time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan). The film was released simultaneously in America and Canada on June 7, 1985. Parts adventure, comedy, and family, the film has a runtime of 114 minutes.
“The Goonies” is once more a film, like many that I’ve rewatched recently, that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Even though I remembered the movie in its entirety, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching it again. I have a feeling it’s a film, like “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “ET,” “Back to the Future,” “The Godfather,” and the original “Star Wars Trilogy,” as well as numerous other films, that I’ll never get tired of rewatching. If you’re looking for some escapist entertainment to pass a few hours, the film will more than likely appeal to you.
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