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The Goonies
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The Goonies is a 1985 adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. A band of kids from the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, hoping to save their homes from demolition, go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate.
Plot
The Goonies, a group of young teenaged friends living in Astoria, Oregon, face foreclosure on their families' homes from the expanding Astoria Country Club.
Discussion
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Quotations
Goonies never say die!
Sloth love chunk.
Hey you guuuuys!
Rocky Road, eh uh.
RUTH. Baby...RRRRUTH.
They call themselves The Goonies. The secret caves. The old lighthouse. The lost map. The treacherous traps. The hidden treasure. And Sloth... Join the adventure.
Encyclopedia
The Goonies is a 1985 adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. A band of kids from the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, hoping to save their homes from demolition, go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate.
Plot
The Goonies, a group of young teenaged friends living in Astoria, Oregon, face foreclosure on their families' homes from the expanding Astoria Country Club. On one of their last days their morale sinks particularly low due to the cancellation of their programmed farewell road trip due to Mikey's older brother having flunked his driver's license exam.
While rummaging through the bric-a-brac accumulated in the Walshes' attic by their father (a local museum curator), they find an old newspaper clipping, a map, and an artifact relating to a rumor of a forgotten pirate treasure somewhere in the area. Hearing the call of adventure, Mikey tries to persuade his friends to join him in search for the treasure hoarded by a pirate named One Eyed Willie. Initially reluctant, the group eventually decides to usurp the authority of Mikey's older brother Brandon and escape for one last "Goonie adventure."
They head to the coast and stumble upon an abandoned seaside restaurant that seems to match coordinates set by the map and an old doubloon. With the help of Mouth, a cocky but loyal friend of the group, they are able to translate the map and confirm they are headed in the right direction. Unbeknownst to the Goonies, the restaurant is actually a secret hideout of a family of Italian criminals known as the Fratellis. While the kids believe the Fratellis are restaurant owners and workers, they are inevitably shooed away by Mama Fratelli, but they evacuate the premises only to come back later when the coast is clear. Once Brandon finally tracks the boys down and insists they return home immediately, they are met with Steph and Andy, two female peers Brandon knows from school. Undeterred with his agenda, and with Brandon being distracted by the company of the girls, Mikey continues to search for clues, feeling that he is closer than ever in finding the treasure. Data, the group's tech whiz, discovers a counterfeit money-making machine and soon the group realizes who the Fratellis really are. To make matters worse, they find the dead body of an F.B.I. agent stored away in a freezer, and the Fratellis have returned to the hideout, though they remain unaware of the Goonies' presence in the basement.
Taking refuge in a tunnel discovered underneath a fireplace, the group escapes to safety but not before sending Chunk, the clumsy, heavy-set compulsive liar of the group, to notify the police of the situation. With nightfall looming, Chunk quickly finds his way to the nearest road and flags down the first vehicle he sees. As luck would have it, the passengers of said vehicle are none other than the Fratelli brothers themselves, on their way to dispose of the dead F.B.I. agent. Chunk is apprehended and questioned by the Fratellis under threat of death, but after offering unrelated (though truthful) testimony about every misdeed he committed in his life, Chunk's story about the treasure hunt is corroborated when the fireplace bursts and dozens of bats swarm the basement, revealing the entrance of the tunnel. The Fratellis set off to hunt down both the kids and the treasure, while Chunk is tied up in the basement with the forsaken and deformed Fratelli brother, Sloth. In time, both prisoners become friends and manage to free themselves.
With the Fratellis in close pursuit, the group risks life and limb navigating the caves and dodging booby traps until they discover the hidden cove and final resting place of The Inferno, One Eyed Willie's pirate ship. Mikey finally sees the legendary pirate face to face and recognizes him as the "first Goonie". He tells the others to take whatever treasure they can hold, but to leave a share for Willy as tribute. Before they get too carried away, the Fratellis capture the group on board the ship, strip them of their treasure, then force them to walk the plank. When all hope seems lost, Chunk makes his grand entrance with Sloth, and they rescue the remaining Goonies on board and take them to safety. Thinking the Goonies are no longer a threat, the Fratellis indulge in the new-found treasure but are greedy to take even Willie's share that Mikey instinctively left alone. This action sets off Willie's final booby trap, which starts collapsing the cave.
The Goonies barely escape and make their way out to the beach outside the cave, where they are met by the early morning and spotted by a couple of police scouts on ATVs. The group is reunited with their families, Sloth and Chunk proclaim their love for one another, and the rest of the Fratellis are arrested. Even though everyone is happy that the young adventurers were unharmed, the kids themselves are devastated at their inability to hold onto any of the treasure lost in the cave's collapse. All hope is restored when Rosalita, the Walshes' housekeeper, discovers a handful of precious jewels left in Mikey's marble bag. With this new fortune, the Goonies are able to save everyone’s homes from foreclosure, and The Inferno, One-Eyed Willie, and its cargo of "rich stuff" gracefully sail out of the collapsed cave and into the sun.
Cast and characters
The film featured performances by a number of child actors:
- Sean Astin as Michael "Mikey" Walsh, the Goonie who leads them to find One-Eyed Willie's treasure. For the whole movie, he wears a gray shirt with a denim jacket and a pair of blue jeans. Although Mikey suffers from asthma and has to take his medication several times during the adventure, he continually acts as the group's never-ending supply of enthusiasm and spirit. It is his determination to save the Goon Docks that jumpstarts the film. Astin won a Young Artist Award for this role.
- Corey Feldman as Clark "Mouth" Devereaux, an obnoxious, smart-mouthed Goonie who loves to talk and tends to be a bit of a trickster. While he is treated as an annoyance often, Mouth is a boy of many talents, including being fluent in Spanish (and supposedly other languages). His flippant, free-wheeling manner of talkinghence his nicknameoften gets the Goonies into trouble, but occasionally is used to talk his way out of (or into) situations. He shares an antagonistic relationship with Stef, which is later revealed to be a mutual crush.
- Jonathan Ke Quan (credited as Ke Huy Quan) as Richard "Data" Wang, an extremely intelligent and inventive Goonie, who idolizes James Bond and has many inventive gadgets, similar to Bond and particularly Inspector Gadget. Although many of his gadgets seem gimmicky and useless at first, they end up saving both the lives of the entire group and Data himself at various times throughout the story.
 - Jeff Cohen as Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen, a fat, clumsy, food-loving Goonie who makes up sensational stories and tries to pass them off as true. He can determine a flavor of ice cream by merely smelling it from a distance. Although he seems to be the group burden, and is captured early on by the Fratellis, he comes through for everyone in the end by befriending the intimidating but gentle Sloth; the two outsiders save the Goonies in dire moments. Perhaps Chunk's most memorable scene is early in the movie, when Mouth denies Chunk entrance to their meeting unless Chunk does the "Truffle Shuffle," a humiliating dance where Chunk lifts up his shirt and jiggles the fat on his body.
- Josh Brolin as Brandon "Brand" Walsh, Mikey's older brother who recently failed his driver's license test and has a crush on Andy Carmichael. A strong young man who enjoys exercise, Brand comes across as a typical overbearing older brother at first glance, but is later shown to genuinely care for Mikey, as well as Goon Dock's dire situation. Although he himself was once a Goonie, he is initially opposed to the Goonies' quest. He begins to warm up to it as the film progresses, eventually becoming just as dead-set on finding the treasure as the others. He is seemingly the only member of the Walsh family that is not dyslexic, and often corrects Mikey and his parents when they mix up their words.
- Kerri Green as Andrea "Andy" Carmichael, a beautiful, popular cheerleader who begins a romantic relationship with Brand after she breaks up with her boyfriend, Troy Perkins. The least "Goonie-ish" of the Goonies due to her popularity and acceptance within the community, Andy is jumpy and uncertain of the adventure she is swept up in, but soon joins in with the spirit of adventure facing the other Goonies and often encourages the group. She saves the Goonies with her limited experience with piano from One-Eyed Willie's most complex trap.
- Martha Plimpton as Stephanie "Stef" Steinbrenner, a friend of Andy's. She is a smart-mouthed, skeptical girl. Despite an age difference, she often serves as the perfect foil for Mouth, as the two butt heads constantly (which later translates into a form of flirtation). Although just as jumpy as Andy during their adventure, Stef is far more organized in thought. Although she comes across as something of a smart-alec, she demonstrates that she can be quite compassionate.
Other cast and characters
- Anne Ramsey as Ma Fratelli, the elderly and domineering mother of the Fratelli family of criminals. Ramsey won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in a film for this role.
- Joe Pantoliano as Francis Fratelli, a balding Fratelli brother.
- Robert Davi as Jake Fratelli, an opera-singing Fratelli brother.
- John Matuszak as "Sloth", a large and deformed Fratelli brother of immense strength, held prisoner in a room by his mother and often teased and tormented by his siblings. His deformity is the result of being dropped by Ma several times when he was a baby. A pivotal moment in the film occurs when he rips his outer shirt open, reveals a t-shirt with the Superman logo underneath, and indicates that the S stands for Sloth. The character is often remembered for his catchphrase, "Hey You Guys!"
- Mary Ellen Trainor as Irene Walsh, Brand and Mikey's mother who frequently castigates the boys throughout the film.
- Keith Walker as Irving Walsh, a museum curator who inspired his son Mikey with tales about One-Eyed Willie. He keeps a multitude of oddities and ancient relics in the attic of the Walsh residence and seems the most concerned over the Goon Dock's fate.
- Steve Antin as Troy Perkins, a preppy jock teenager whose father Elgin Perkins, plans to buy the Goon Docks, and who wants Andy for himself.
- Lupe Ontiveros as Rosalita, a Hispanic maid hired by Mrs. Walsh to assist in the packing and moving of the family. She doesn't understand a word of English, which prompted Mouth to play several pranks on her while describing the chores Mrs. Walsh wants her to do, such as mentioning drugs and sexual torture implements, as well as threatening her with confinement. It is actually Rosalita that discovers Mikey's marble bag of jewels just in time to prevent the contract signing.
- One-Eyed Willy is a background character, never directly appearing on screen. His life takes place before the events of the film and provides the basis for the adventure. He was a pirate from the 17th century who finally hides his treasure near Astoria. Willy and his crew left the approaches in the caves filled with various booby traps to protect caches of treasure and the main alcove where his ship, Inferno, is docked. The characters find One-Eyed Willy's skeleton sitting at the head of a table covered in treasure, in a hidden room within the heart of the ship. It is revealed that One-Eyed Willy was always one-eyed as he had only one eye socket.
- Chester Copperpot is another background character. He is an explorer who tried to find the treasure in the 1930s. The Goonies discover his skeleton in the caves. They take a large stack of "candles" and a stick of dynamite from his bag, and a small copper skull, which they later use as a kind of key.
- Richard Donner (director cameo) as ATV-riding deputy.
- Cyndi Lauper as herself (made a short appearance in a scene while Part 2 of the "Goonies" video was on the TV)
Production
Principal photography on The Goonies began on October 22, 1984 and lasted five months. There was an additional six weeks of ADR recording. The shooting script was lengthy, over 120 pages, and several sequences were eventually cut from the final theatrical version (which explains the reference to the octopus in the final scene).
In The Making of the Goonies, director Richard Donner noted the difficulties and pleasures of working with so many child actors. Donner praised them for their energy and excitement, but said that they were a handful when brought together. The documentary frequently shows him coaching the young actors and reveals some of the techniques he used to get realistic performances. One of these tricks involved One-Eyed Willie's ship, which was actually an impressive full-sized pirate ship created under the direction of production designer J. Michael Riva. Donner forbade the child actors from seeing the ship so that the first time the characters see the ship is also the first time the actors saw it. (It was later noted that the full-sized version of the ship was destroyed after shooting because they could not find anyone who wanted it.)
In his book There and Back Again, Sean Astin claims that Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg were "like co-directors" on the film as he compares and contrasts their styles when directing scenes.
The museum where Mikey's father works is, in reality, the Captain George Flavel House Museum.
Reception
Film critics were split over The Goonies. Rotten Tomatoes shows 24 positive reviews and 14 "rotten" ones, giving The Goonies an overall score of 63% "fresh" rating. It scores much better with users, currently rating it 90%. Several reviewers noted that the movie appeared to be enjoyable for children and teens, but not so much for adults. It was also controversial that the child stars used profanity numerous times throughout the film. Some were concerned that Spielberg's name and style was merely being slapped onto a movie directed by someone else.
The Goonies grossed US$9 million opening weekend in the US placed it second on the charts behind Rambo: First Blood Part II. It grossed over US$61 million that year, placing it among the top ten highest grossing movies of 1985 (in the US).
In the decades following its release, The Goonies has gained a cult following, primarily comprising people who were children or teens in the 1980s. Chunk actor Jeff Cohen used the slogan "Chunk for President" in his successful campaign for UC Berkeley's student government president for the 1995–96 school year.
Later releases
VHS and laserdisc
The Goonies was first released on VHS video in the United States in March 1986 and the laserdisc and CED versions also debuted that year. Warner Home Video released a theatrical widescreen laserdisc on January 29, 1992.
DVD
Warner Home Video released The Goonies in widescreen on Region 1 DVD on August 21, 2001. The DVD featured several notable extras, including:
- Commentary by actors Jonathan Ke Quan, Corey Feldman, Sean Astin, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jeff Cohen, Josh Brolin, and director Richard Donner. This option frequently switches back and shows the actors and Donner gathered together as they are watching the film while recording the commentary. Midway through the film, Sean Astin had to leave, much to the puzzlement of his costars, and without ever getting to say a personal message to Cyndi Lauper that he intended to. He left a Samwise Gamgee action figure in his place, however. In an interview with IGN.com, Astin explained that the recording session started late, which resulted in him having to leave early to honor a prior commitment to his friend (and Goonies nemesis), Joe Pantoliano.
- A 7-minute behind-the-scenes documentary called The Making of The Goonies.
- The 12-minute 2-parted "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video by Cyndi Lauper. The video is notable in its casting of some 80s icons, like André the Giant.
- Deleted scenes: The octopus attack Data describes to a reporter near the end of the film (where the "Eight Arms to Hold You" song can be heard), the convenience store scene (which explains why the map, which was intact in the Walshes' attic, is singed later in the film), and scenes with Sloth and Chunk. This feature is called "Outtakes" in the menu.
- The theatrical trailer.
Video games
Konami created two versions of The Goonies for the MSX (The Goonies) and Famicom (Goonies). The Goonies II was also released on the Famicom ( NES ). Goonies II was both released in North America and Europe, although the first Goonies was available for play in PlayChoice-10 machines located in most arcades and pizza parlors in the 1980s. The Goonies II had little to do with the movie, but achieved a following for its inventive gameplay. In it the Fratellis have managed to kidnap all of the Goonies (except Mikey, whom the player guides) and hide them in hidden cages across a terrain of caverns, mazes and abandoned buildings. As Mikey, the player must rescue them all and ultimately free a mermaid named Annie (not to be confused with Andy from the movie).
Datasoft produced a Goonies video game for 8-bit computers including Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari and Apple II. This game featured eight screens in which a player had to use two members of the Goonies group to solve puzzles and reach an exit to advance to the next stage. The screens were largely inspired by actual sets and puzzles seen in the movie. A reference to the aforementioned "octopus scene" is included, as the seventh level.
Nintendo also had a version of this game (Goonies) produced as an arcade machine which had the same setup.
Mikey also appeared as a character in the Japanese Famicom game Konami Wai Wai World (1988).
In 2007, DaimlerChrysler's Jeep division sponsored The Goonies: Return to Astoria, a flash based game. The player's goal is to collect map pieces and doubloons, and then race the Fratellis to One-Eyed Willie's treasure.
Soundtrack/music video
A soundtrack was released for the film, featuring music by Cyndi Lauper, REO Speedwagon and others (see The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). The Goonies (except Kerri Green) appeared alongside famous professional wrestlers, (including Rowdy Roddy Piper and "Captain" Lou Albano), in the 12-minute "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video. Lauper also has a cameo as herself in the movie, performing this song on TV, although the song was completed after filming. Steven Spielberg has a cameo as himself in "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video.
The film's score, by Dave Grusin, has long been unavailable. The main title music, entitled "Fratelli Chase", has been used in numerous trailers, and was re-recorded by Grusin and the London Symphony Orchestra for Grusin's album Cinemagic.
Sequel and musical adaptation
A film sequel was in the works, something long desired by fans. Donner said that he had a story he liked and Spielberg behind him, but in 2004 several of the actors from the original revealed that Warner Brothers, the copyright holder, had not shown interest in a sequel. Although Sean Astin told MTV in October 2007 that Goonies 2 is an "absolute certainty.... The writing’s on the wall when they’re releasing the DVD in such numbers," Richard Donner has expressed doubt that the sequel will ever happen, as many of the actors had not shown interest in returning for a sequel. Corey Feldman stated in his November 25, 2008 blog post, "NO! There is no Goonies 2! I’m sorry but it’s just not gonna happen.... Course now that I've said that they’ll do it."
An animated series was apparently briefly in the works for Cartoon Network, before being shelved due to contract disputes over using the actors' likenesses.
Entertainment Weekly reported in March 2007 that a musical adaptation of the film is being discussed. "Steven and I have discussed it, and it's something that I'm fairly passionate about right now," Donner says.. Variety reported in October 2008 that Donner had met with Broadway entertainment attorney John Breglio, and is "confident things are moving in the right direction."
External links
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