Can you believe it's been 25 years since this seminal summer favorite first opened in theaters? Time surely flies. I was 15 when this movie first came out. And all me and buddies knew about it was that Steven Spielberg was the producer, it was featuring Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and it was about kids with a treasure map, booby traps, pirates, and a crime family led by an old lady. We were standing in line opening day and the movie did not disappoint.
Of course every fan knows the story by hard: a group of kids on a rainy Saturday afternoon find an old treasure map and embark on a treasure hunt. Hoping to find some treasure so they can save all their homes from greedy land developers. Two brothers: Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand (Josh Brolin) are two exact opposites. Mikey believes in the treasure map and wants to go on an adventure while Brand is more sensible and since he's stuck baby-sitting Mikey, no dice. When Mikey's friends Data (Ke Quan), Chunk (Cohen) and Mouth (Feldman) come over, the group manage to tie up Brand and off they go.
The adventure begins when our group encounters Ma Fratelli (Ramsey) and her two criminal sons, whose restaurant is the starting point of the treasure map. Things quickly get exciting when Brand catches up with our young adventurers. And let's not forget the two girls who end up tagging along: Andi (Keri Green) and Stef (Plimpton). Soon booby traps, pirate ships, last minute escapes, and a deformed brother of the Fratelli's names Sloth, who wears a Superman t shirt and has a hankering for some derring do ala Errol Flynn all add up to a terrific good time.
After viewing The Goonies in theaters during the summer of 1985, it quickly became a favorite of mine on HBO and then actually owning the VHS copy. I still watch my DVD copy from time to time, because it reminds me of a time when movies like this were fun and exciting and pure. No CGI or crazy effects, just good old fashioned movie making.
Notes:
While not a typical Spielberg massive blockbuster, The Goonies was one of the summer's biggest hits with about $65 million in North America. It would go on to become one of the biggest home video sellers by the end of the year.
The story was written by Spielberg and newcomer Chris Columbus, who would later go on and direct Home Alone 1 & 2, Mrs. Doubtfire and two Harry Potter films.
"Shit" or "bullshit"is uttered 19 times, not counting the line "Holy S-H-I-T!"
The pirate ship was entirely real. All the shots were filmed in the ship. After the film, it was offered to anyone who would take it. No one wanted it, so the ship was scrapped.
When the Fratelli brothers argue Anne Ramsey really slaps Robert Davi. She was told to hit him as hard as she could.
Cyndi Lauper co-wrote the theme song "Goonies R Good Enough", and shot a music video that features a cameo by the film's executive producer Steven Spielberg.
The late Corey Haim auditioned for the role of Mouth, but the role was given to Corey Feldman instead. At the time neither Corey knew the other Corey, but they met up again on the set of The Lost Boys (1987) and they became best friends. The duo would go on to star in seven movies together in the late '80s and early ' 90s. In the movie License To Drive (1988), Corey Feldman auditioned for the lead roll of Les Anderson, but that roll was given to Corey Haim.
The Goonies Oath that was cut out goes as follows: "I will never betray my goon dock friends / We will stick together until the whole world ends / Through heaven and hell, and nuclear war / Good pals like us, will stick like tar / In the city, or the country, or the forest, or the boonies / I am proudly declared a fellow Goonie."
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