I was recently visiting family in Oregon and the buzz was on. Since 1985, the Steven Spielberg produced movie The Goonies has thrived as an enduring cult classic. Yes, it was 25 years ago that Spielberg put Astoria, Oregon on the map by filming this endearing movie on their beaches and in their sea caves.
In the movie, a group of misfit boys calling themselves the Goonies are lamenting the loss of their homes to a greedy developer to expand his golf course. With the foreclosure at hand and their eminent separation, they do what any group of young American boys would do, they go treasure hunting. There were tales aplenty of a map so they started by looking, where else, but in the attic where they thought they just might begin their adventure.
The Goonies didn’t miss a trick; it had crooks, bats, cobwebs, skeletons, a lovable monster, an underground grotto, and a treasure hidden by some of the most considerate, clue-loving pirates who ever lived. Spielberg knew how to put you on the edge of your seat, even 25 years ago.
The movie begins with an assortment of engaging boys, including a smart kid, a kid with braces, a chunky kid (called Chunk), an older brother and an Asian kid whose clothing conceals numerous inventions. Along the way they pick up a couple of girls, whose function is to swap spit and get bats in their hair. With the old treasure map from the attic, they blunder into the hideout of a desperate gang of criminals, two brothers and a mama ‘from you know where’. The third brother is the lovable monster I mentioned. The tunnels to the treasure begin under their hideout. The kids find the tunnels while fleeing from the bad guys, and then go looking for the treasure with the crooks on their tail. There are lots of special effects and among the set pieces are the same kinds of booby traps that Indiana Jones survived in Raiders (falling boulders, sharp spikes), and a toboggan ride on a water chute that will remind you of the runaway train in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
When I decided to take a second look at The Goonies I mentioned it to my thirty something kids. Whew, faster than a speeding bullet the DVD’s came out. Not the VHS that I might have had leftover from the 80’s but the new cut…the cult that never died.
Many of the kids that were in this movie went on to be stars. Josh Brolin got his start right here in The Goonies. Corey Feldman, Sean Astin and Kerri Green were just some of the young actors who rounded out this talented ensemble. The Cyndi Lauper scene is worth the cost of the rental!
You may be wondering, “Did they have a reunion”? Why just like the Thomas-Hastings clan heading to Oregon for their family room, yes they did and I hear that you might keep an eye out for the Broadway adaptation in the next couple of years.
Rent it and find out why, Goonies Never Die! Once again, I invite your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com. Visit my archived movie reviews at www.CarolynHastings.com.