The Goonies (1985)
A huge fan favorite for those who watched this growing up, The Goonies makes up for its silly, predictable story and stereotypical characters (the portrayal of the murderous and thieving Italian-American family, the Fratellis (which means “brothers” in Italian), drew anti-defamation protests) by being a fun and imaginative old-school adventure, like Raiders of the Lost Ark aimed at adolescents. It’s no surprise that Steven Spielberg produced this “young Indy” adventure, and also wrote the original story that would be used by screenwriter Chris Columbus for the screenplay directed by Richard Donner. Further begging comparison, Jonathan Ke Quan (Second Time Around), who played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, makes an appearance here as a similarly high-strung adventurer with a gift for gadgets.
It’s an ensemble cast, but Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, 50 First Dates) is the star by default, as Mikey, the youngest of two brothers who are about to move from their home in Astoria, Oregon because their family lacks the funds to stop a developer from taking over the area to expand a lush country club (a golf course built on a very hilly patch of land next to the ocean?). This would end many friendships with the other children in the area, which they’ve dubbed “the Goondocks”, and their crew call themselves The Goonies, who are united in their quest for adventure and shenanigans. Things take an interesting turn when a map is discovered in Mikey’s father’s collection of antiques in their attic, which promises to lead to the secret fortune of the infamous One-Eyed Willy, whose cache of jewels promises to make them rich beyond imagination, once they get though all the pirate booty-traps (er, I mean, booby-traps). The gang end up finding the entrance to the caves where the loot is hidden, but a rival group of thieves threatens to get there first, and to kill anyone who gets in their way.
Although a bit potty-mouthed, The Goonies is an innocuously fun family adventure that delivers on entertainment, even though it doesn’t really sparkle with smart dialogue or fresh developments. It’s a little corny, a little contrived, and very cartoonish, but once you conclude that it plays mostly for laughs, you’ll probably have no problem just accepting it for the silly adventure that it is and join in on the adventure. Easter eggs are in the mix: at different times Sloth wears an L.A. Raiders shirt (Matuszak played for that team (though in Oakland) in his football days – note: the Raiders insignia foretells One-Eyed Willy’s appearance, and “Raiders” could also reference producer Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, which The Goonies is clearly a derivative of) or a Superman shirt (director Donner directed the first two Superman films). There’s a reference to Gremlins, which screenwriter Christopher Columbus also scripted, when it one of Chunk’s outlandish stories mentioned happens to be “little creatures that multiply when you throw water at them.”
The ensemble of actors proves to be fun, particularly in some of the child actor portrayals. Jeff Cohen, who plays Chunk, steals most of his scenes through his naturalistic comedic instincts, though having the ‘fat kid’ unable to pass up constantly eating is yet another of the film’s stereotypes that hasn’t dated as well. As far as the adults go, John Matuszak is an endearing presence as the hulking Sloth, though, in reality, he injuries after many hard years of football made it impossible to do most of the physical feats performed admirably by a stunt person within the film. The Fratelli brothers scored two terrific character actors in Joe “Joey Pants” Pantoliano and Robert Davi, who actually is a classically trained opera singer who does his own singing within the movie.
That’s not to say it’s a really good film, as the acting isn’t stellar, and the screenwriting often encroaches into the realm of schmaltz, particularly when the Goonies need inspiring from one of Mikey’s insipid pep speeches (“This is our time!”, “Goonies never say die!”), or how he oddly keeps referring to treasure as “the rich stuff”. There are some inane pieces, such as when the Goonies start tinkering with some pipes that causes physics-defying havoc to the country club just above, and pretty much every gadget conjured up by Data is nothing more than a mini “deus ex machina” whenever the kids are stymied as to how to get out of a predicament. There’s a pirate ship within a cave which was an elaborate set built in the studio in Burbank, constructed to look identical the one used in the Errol Flynn movie The Sea Hawk, which was deliberately kept a secret to the young actors so their reactions would be genuine when they saw it for the first time (unfortunately, it had to be re-shot, because they began to use language not suitable for a PG rating).
There are also a number of “movie logic” moments that will likely rankle a few people who pay attention to minutia as I do. A jail-break scene early in the film shows Robert Davi has put on his hat and coat after assaulting the guard and running with cops who are in hot pursuit (who also seem to need to put on their coats and hats). The scene where they go into the summer-only restaurant the Fratellis are hiding in appears to have gone immediately into disarray in the Fall, when the film is set, with rotting boards, cobwebs and a cockroach infestation.
Spielberg’s instincts were right on the promise of the film, as it earned over $60 million, and scored in the top ten box office performers for the year of 1985.
Yet, for all of its flaws, The Goonies gains momentum from its charm and imagination, making this a popcorn movie favorite, especially for people who love the 80s. While I can’t proclaim this as great as the Indiana Jones adventures, like Cyndi Lauper said in her song on the soundtrack, “The Goonies R Good Enough.” (Side note: Isn’t it strange that there is the Goonies music video appears in the movie? I had never heard of the word “goonies” outside of this film, and yet there is a major pop star that has a song about them.)
Qwipster’s rating: B
MPAA Rated: PG for violence, language and some innuendo (probably PG-13 by today’s standards)
Running Time: 114 min.
Cast: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Jonathan Ke Quan, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Anne Ramsey, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano
Director: Richard Donner
Screenplay: Chris Columbus