The Goonies is a fairly old film but I’ve never actually seen it the whole way through until tonight. It revolves around a group of kids – who call themselves “The Goonies” – who get caught up in a great adventure involving hidden pirate treasure and all that sort of thing. It’s not about greed though – evil developers are about to evict them from their homes to build a golf course if they can’t stump up enough money. A trip to the attic though gives them more than they bargain for however as an old treasure map is found. Despite reluctance from his big brother and the others, wide-eyed youngster Mikey (Sean Astin, who even here shows himself to be a fine actor) is determined to get the money and save the day… so together with big brother (reluctantly) Brand (Josh Brolin), a kid known as “Mouth” because he uses it so much (Corey Feldman), token fat kid “Chuck” (Jeff Cohen), and token Japanese kid “Data” (Jonathon Ke Quan), who has an unhealthy tendency to talk about himself in the third person, off they set.

The baddies are provided in the form of the Fratelli family, led by Mama (Anne Ramsey) and ever squabbling brothers Jake and Francis. One of them tortures his enemies by singing to them… Also there is a family secret that is even more horrifying than the three mentioned above… As smaller baddies, we also have the men who are going to evict Mikey’s family, and one of their sons…

However there are bad guys standing in their path to riches, led by an even badder (sic) mother. The four boys are later to be joined by two girls (Kerri Green and Martha Plimpton), one of whom will of course be the love interest for one of the boys. Well you might have guessed by now that the storyline doesn’t win any prizes for originality, but that doesn’t matter –it’s a rip-roaring adventure that pokes fun at everything in sight with its visuals, dialogue and music (look out for Superman and Gremlins, and provides a lot of fun, thrills and spills along the way. There are some really great sets in this film (most of it is set in underground cabins), some truly awful villains (awful in the best sense of the world), and it manages to throw a few surprises in despite the hackneyed plot. The acting is good throughout – none of the kids let themselves down, and the adults are gloriously strange and over-the-top. Dave Grusin’s music score really suits the film too with its up-tempo melodies.

Of all the scenes in the film, I think the funniest was probably when one of the boys is captured and ordered to tell the truth – the whole truth - or else. He does, telling everything from 3rd grade onwards! Though “Mouth” translating for Mikey’s mother to the new housemaid who spoke no English was pretty funny too, if very bizarre…

Overall, The Goonies is a very enjoyable film, not the most original perhaps but it’s full of action and weirdness, and is very funny in places. It’s suitable for older kids though there are bits that younger kids might find a little scary. There was quite a bit of profanity in the first couple of scenes, which seemed out of place and unnecessary, but there’s very little in the rest of the film.


Other Details

Director: Richard Donner
Year of Release: 1985
Runtime: 114 minutes
Rating: 12 (UK – video re-rating, uncut version) PG (original cut version)

Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg, who is said to have directed at least one scene in the movie.


DVD Extras

There is an audio commentary with “hidden treasures”. I’m sorry but I don’t think I’ll ever be interested in a film enough to actually listen to a while audio commentary, so I don’t know if this is much good.

However… the music video – “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” by Cyndi Lauper – is possibly the oddest music video I’ve ever seen (which is quite an achievement), which also oddly enough features “Andre the Giant”, who was in The Princess Bride, which I only reviewed yesterday.

There’s also a trailer… still trying to work out why people think they are a good idea to have on the DVD of the film itself… and some outtakes / deleted scenes. Some of these are actually pretty funny, and one of them explains why Data talks about fighting a giant octopus near the end of the film.

Finally there is a short documentary, which is worth watching purely for Director Richard Donner talking about the joys of working with children. (“The thing about working with such a large group of children in a film is that I contemplate suicide every night.”!!) Even for me, who doesn’t like long, boring documentaries about how a film was made, this did seem amazingly short, but it was still kinda fun while it lasted. Donner’s opinion of Spielberg? ”The biggest kid of them all”.

Quotes

Francis Fratelli: Tell us everything! Everything!
Chunk: Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life.
Jake Fratelli: I'm beginning to like this kid, Ma!

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Chunk: Sixteen thrity-two. What is that? A year?
Mouth: No, it's your top score on Pole Position.

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Chunk: Mikey, Mikey, this ain't the kind of place you want to go to the bathroom in.
Mama Fratelli: Why not?
Chunk: Because they might have daddy longlegs and um... dead things, Mikey. DEAD THINGS!

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[Chunk is running toward the road in the dead of night to find help]
Chunk: I'm not all alone in the dark. I like the dark. I love the dark.
[He ducks and crawls under a tree branch]
Chunk: But I hate nature! I HATE nature!


Related Links

Corey Feldman was also in Stand By Me His appearance in that was rather similar to that in Stand By Me, which came a year later.

“The Goonies” was Sean Astin’s first film appearance (following two appearances on TV). He went on to appear in Harrison Bergeron and 50 First Dates; of course he really made his name as Samwise Gangee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King.


Jonathon Ke Quan accidentally found himself cast as Indiana Jones’ sidekick “Short Round” in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - he only went to the audition as moral support for his bother!


See also: Top Ten Children's Movies


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12