There were several movies that were popular when I was growing up that I did not see at that point for whatever reason. I have seen some of them since then. It was probably about five years ago before I first saw The Goonies, an adventure movie aimed at families that was made in 1985.
Jake Fratelli broke out of jail with the help of his brother Francis and their mother. All three of them were wanted criminals. Mama was driving and managed to get away from the police.
Mikey and his friends Chunk, Mouth, and Data were facing their last few days together because a wealthy man from the better area of town was forcing them all to sell their homes to put in a country club. Mikey and his friends, as well as his older brother Brand, went exploring in the attic and found a treasure map. Mikey was convinced it would lead to a real treasure that they could use to save their homes. They tied up Brand and left to look for the treasure. Brand went after them once he was able to. He caught up with the boys outside a deserted restaurant that the Fratellis were using as their hideout. They were joined by Stef and Andy, two girls who seemed to be friends with the more popular kids but who also knew Brand and the others. Mikey convinced the others to go with him to look for the treasure. They went on a wild adventure with the Fratelli’s chasing after them.
The Goonies was a fun, entertaining movie that had a good plot. There was enough going on to keep things moving along at a good pace and keep things interesting without making the movie too complicated. Most of the movie was focused on Mikey and the others trying to find the treasure. It was believable that kids would be fascinated with a treasure map and want to try to find the treasure. The kids in this movie had real motivation for doing that beyond just wanting the adventure because the treasure represented a way to save their homes. I did think that aspect of the movie was believable. Some of the other things that happened later in the movie weren’t as believable but that didn’t make the movie any less entertaining for me.
The Goonies was an adventure movie. Mikey was ready to go looking for the treasure as soon as the map was found, but he had to convince the others to go with him. Brand didn’t get involved until later and it was more like he went because he was there and couldn’t go back by that point. While following the map, they had to deal with several things, including traps set by the pirate who originally hid the treasure. Those things did add a decent amount of action to the movie without making the movie action packed. The traps weren’t really high tech, but that fit in with them having been set a few hundred years before. The hunt for the treasure made for a fun, entertaining adventure.
I felt that there was a small amount of mystery in The Goonies connected to the treasure map and search for the treasure. The mystery was related to if there really was a treasure and if the kids could actually find it. The mystery wasn’t strong and I didn’t feel like there were any surprises in the movie. That did make certain things somewhat predictable, which will probably bother some viewers. I didn’t mind that at all since the movie was so entertaining. There was a little bit of minor suspense in a few scenes, mostly connected to the Fratellis. I didn’t mind that there wasn’t more suspense either. The Fratellis did some things to add to the action in some scenes. They also did a few things that added a bit of violence as well. None of the violence was that graphic, so it shouldn’t bother anyone. The movie was rated PG, so there is little that would be inappropriate for children. There was some minor swearing and a few minor romantic elements that just involved a few characters kissing. One character did talk about sex briefly, but it was done in a way that younger children probably won’t understand. There were one or two moments that could be a bit scary for children. Parents may want to watch the movie before letting their kids see it.
The kids had the most to do in The Goonies since their adventure was the main focus of the movie. Mikey was probably the most developed since he was sort of acting as the leader. He kept thinking that they could do something to stop what was going to happen so they all wouldn’t have to move. He always believed that they could find the treasure and he was the one to encourage the others to keep going. I thought that Sean Astin did a good job with the part even though he did go slightly overboard in a few scenes. Brand didn’t seem to like his younger brother that much since he put him down and called him names at first. Brand was into exercising and he was interested in Andy even though she was dating Troy, one of the rich, popular kids. Josh Brolin was fine in the part.
Mouth was one of Mikey’s friends. He talked a lot and always had a smart comeback, which is why I think he was called Mouth. He could be a little irritating and annoying. Corey Feldman was fine in the part. Chunk was another of Mikey’s friends. He was accident prone and seemed to always be eating or talking about eating. Data came up with a lot of unique inventions that didn’t work like he intended most of the times. Stef and Andy were more accepted by the popular kids even though they didn’t really fit in with them either. Andy was dating Troy but seemed to be interested in Brand.
There were only a few adult characters that had much to do in the movie. Mikey and Brand’s mother Harriet was only briefly shown in a few scenes, so Mary Ellen Trainor didn’t have much to do. Their dad, as well as the parents of the other kids, were around even less. The Fratellis were the only adult character who had much to do. All three of them were tough criminals and not people you would want to run across. Francis and Jake tended to bicker, which irritated Mama. They also had another brother they called Sloth.
Main Cast
Sean Astin - Mikey Josh Brolin - Brand Jeff Cohen - Chunk Robert Davi - Jake Fratelli Corey Feldman - Mouth Kerri Green - Andy John Matuszak - Sloth Joe Pantoliano - Francis Fratelli Martha Plimpton - Stef Jonathan Ke Quan - Data Anne Ramsey - Mama Fratelli Mary Ellen Trainor - Harriet Walsh
Richard Donner - Director
DVD Information
I first saw The Goonies on television. I think a few things had been edited out, but I could be wrong. After enjoying the movie so much, I eventually picked up the DVD. My copy has the widescreen version of the movie. I don’t know if there is also a full screen version available. The DVD contains a commentary by the director and some of the cast, a short behind the scenes documentary on the making of the movie, a music video, and a few deleted scenes that were called outtakes.
I really enjoyed The Goonies and think it is a fun, family friendly adventure movie. It does have some flaws, but they didn’t make the movie any less entertaining. I do think it has held up well and is still worth watching.
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