The Goonies

 The Goonies

What is the film you remember most from your childhood? The film you probably watched more times than you can count? The film that opened your eyes to the magic of movies and made you dream? If you can’t think of that film off the top of your head, take a minute and ask yourself what it might be. You will have one, I’m certain. Maybe you had more than one. I did, but the film that stands out as the definitive movie of my childhood is none other than “The Goonies”.

Released in 1985, “The Goonies” tells the story of a bunch of adventurous kids who go on a treasure hunt. Sounds like a novel from yesteryear doesn’t it? But these aren’t The Hardy Boys or Tin Tin; they are delinquents, geeks, loners and punks. The Goonies consist of the following characters;

Mikey – the youngest Goonie and the unsung leader of the group. He is the central character, the conscience and the arc for the rest of the kids. The younger brother of Brandon, he helps the rest of the group see the importance in fighting for their home and looking for the treasure to save their houses from being demolished.

Mouth – as you can guess, the talkative one in the group. He’s a smart arse, a wise guy and a jokester. He always has a smart comment ready and knows how to tick anyone off.

Data – living next door to Mikey and Brandon, Data is the Chinese kid on the block. In a stereotypical representation of Asian kids, he’s clever, creative and good with gadgets. Armed with a home made utility belt, he has a tool to get him out of any sticky situation.

Chunk – the other clichéd character of the group - the Fat Kid! He eats a lot, dresses in ridiculous clothes and likes to tell fantastic stories of all the amazing things he sees on a daily basis, like the time Michael Jackson came over to his house to use the bathroom - but no one in the group ever believes him. But sometimes, he is telling the truth…

Brandon – the older brother of Mikey. Your typical teenage boy; angry, self-centred and obsessed with girls. A jock in fact. He pushes Mikey around like big brother does, but at the end of the day, is just looking out for him.

Andy – the first of the two female members of The Goonies. She’s a cheerleader, beautiful and outgoing, but rather flimsy. She likes Brandon. He likes her. You know the rest…

Stef – the best friend of Andy, kind of a nerd and the mother-figure of the group. She and Mouth don’t get along. 

Our young adventurers live in the seaside town of Astoria, Oregon which sits on the Pacific North-West coast of America. The neighbourhood they live in is aptly called the Goon Docks. Having all convened at Mikey’s house, these kids are just hanging out on a rainy Saturday afternoon with nothing to do. In fact, they are all preparing to move out of their homes as some local developer is turning the neighbourhood where they live into a Country Club. On this, the gloomiest day of their young lives and twenty four hours before they have to leave, the boys head up to the attic to snoop around in Mikey’s dad's old junk. 

And what should they find amongst the collections? A treasure map and a medallion. Mikey puts two and two together and connects these findings to the story of One Eye Willy; a pirate who went and hid his ship somewhere along the coast of their town. Sleeping in the darkness of a cave this ship is meant to be full to the brim with treasure. No one believes Mikey, but on this rainy afternoon the big-time developer who plans to bulldoze their houses shows up to hand them some paperwork. This gets the boys to decide to have one last try to save their houses and they all give Mikey a chance to prove to them that the legendary treasure of One Eyed Willy might actually exist.  

The side story of this film involves a family of criminals called the Fratelli’s. At the start of the film, one of them is broken out of prison by his other brother and mother. In a high speed pursuit by police through the town, the family of crims manage to escape and find an old abandoned restaurant to hide out in.

Following the clues on the map, Mikey leads the way with the rest of The Goonies in tow. Then the girls show up, so the whole gang is assembled. They enter an abandoned restaurant overlooking the sea… which just so happens to be the same place the Fratelli’s are hiding out in. They’re not just hiding themselves in there though. In one of the cold, dark rooms in restaurant basement, the third boy in the family is locked up with chains. Mikey stumbles across this character; a large, grotesque and deformed looking man who surely can’t be human. As we find out later, this beastly character named Sloth turns out to be an ally for The Goonies and jumps into the adventure at just the right time to help them out. And he is human by the way, but just really ugly!  

As the kids have noticed the criminals are in the same restaurant as them, they look for a way out. Through a secret entrance disguised by the fireplace, they all descend into the dark unknown and step by step, work their way through a series of caves, tunnels, clues and booby traps. This is when the fun really begins!

As it was released in the peak of the 1980’s, The Goonies is as recognisable as ever. The clothes the kids wear, the way they talk, the pop culture references and the music (an original song was written and performed for the movie by Cyndi Lauper) all create a strong tie to the most innocent decade of them all. Watching this film reminds me of being a kid, and the games we played. I reckon I was determined to find an old treasure map at some point, grab a shovel and dig holes all over my backyard until I found a chest of gold. Hey, if The Goonies could do it, why not me? 

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