The Goonies
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- "Goonies" redirects here. For other uses, see Goonies (disambiguation).
| The Goonies | |
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| Directed by | Richard Donner |
| Produced by | Harvey Bernhard Richard Donner |
| Written by | Steven Spielberg (story) Chris Columbus (screenplay) |
| Starring | Sean Astin Josh Brolin Jeff Cohen Robert Davi Corey Feldman Kerri Green John Matuszak Joe Pantoliano Martha Plimpton Jonathan Ke Quan Anne Ramsey |
| Music by | Dave Grusin (orchestration) |
| Editing by | Michael Kahn |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | June 7, 1985 |
| Running time | 114 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$19,000,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Goonies is a 1985 movie directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by 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.
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[edit] Plot synopsis
Tagline: 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.
The movie opens with a family of criminals known as the Fratellis - domineering elderly matriarch Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and bumbling son Francis (Joe Pantoliano) - staging a dramatic prison break for Francis's incarcerated brother Jake (Robert Davi), who feigns suicide and knocks out the prison guard before letting himself out of his cell with the keys.
The main characters of the story - the "Goonies", a ragtag group of young misfits - are then individually introduced in brief vignettes during the Fratellis' high-speed getaway in a black Jeep Cherokee. The police are hot in pursuit of them, but the Fratellis manage to escape thanks to their vehicle's off-road capabilities, as well as the fact that they were able to disappear among a crowd of four-wheel drive vehicles that were taking part in a race along a beach.
The story then shifts focus onto Michael "Mikey" Walsh (Sean Astin), an adolescent depressed by the knowledge that, the next morning, his father will sign a contract allowing greedy developers to foreclose on the Goon Docks (with plans to demolish the community and redevelop the site of the houses with a golf course). Along with his friends Richard "Data" Wang (Jonathan Ke Quan), Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen (Jeff Cohen), and Clark "Mouth" Devereaux (Corey Feldman), a restless Mikey rummages through the family attic and finds an old treasure map supposedly leading to the secret treasure of legendary 17th century pirate One-Eyed Willie. Inspired by the possibility of a means to save their homes from demolition, Mikey, Data, Mouth and a reluctant Chunk run off on a quest to follow the map and find One-Eyed Willie's stash.
Escaping from Mikey's watchful older brother, Brandon "Brand" Walsh (Josh Brolin), the young Goonies follow the map to a rundown restaurant on the Oregon coast that (unbeknownst to them) serves as the hideout for the Fratellis. Mikey discovers the opening of a secret tunnel in the restaurant basement. When the Fratellis return soon after, the Goonies - now joined by Brand, Brand's crush Andrea "Andy" Carmichael (Kerri Green), and Andy's friend Stephanie "Stef" Steinbrenner (Martha Plimpton) - are forced to follow the tunnel to escape. They send Chunk to report the Fratellis to the police.
Shortly after leaving the hideout, Chunk flags down a passing vehicle and asks for a ride to the police, only for the driver to switch on the light in his vehicle and reveal himself as Jake Fratelli. Francis gets out of the car, captures Chunk and they drive back to the hideout, where Mama Fratelli is waiting. They interrogate Chunk and threaten to mangle his hand in a blender. Chunk tells his captors about the treasure map and the secret tunnel, but is disbelieved. Told to tell the Fratellis "everything," Chunk then gives them a long rambling history of every bad thing he had ever done, at which point Jake Fratelli is amused and Francis Fratelli is nauseated. Tired of Chunk's stalling, Mama Fratelli tells Francis to hit 'puree' on the blender. At that moment, a swarm of angry bats, inadvertently aroused by the Goonies down below, burst forth from the tunnel entrance, verifying Chunk's story and saving him from the blender.
The Fratellis then enter the tunnel to pursue the treasure, leaving Chunk tied up alongside a third Fratelli brother - a huge, deformed, fearsome man called Sloth (John Matuszak), who is chained to a wall. Although Chunk is at first terrified of Sloth, Sloth turns out to be gentle and kind-natured, and the two captives become friends. Sloth then breaks his and Chunk's bonds, and the two form a third party heading into the tunnel.
Meanwhile, the other Goonies proceed through the underground passages, dodging several dangerous, Rube Goldberg-style booby traps laid by One-Eyed Willie's men centuries ago. They come across the skeletal remains of 1930s explorer Chester Copperpot and, upset that a supposed expert couldn't make it out alive, turn their quest into a hope to merely survive long enough to reach freedom. Their goal then reverts back to finding the treasure when they discover the bottom of a wishing well, which they could use to leave the caves. Instead of saving themselves, the Goonies - in a moment of clarity - decide to continue the quest for the treasure so that they can save the Goon Docks, even if it means risking their lives. During this part of the journey, Andy breaks up with her mean boyfriend Troy (Steve Antin) and begins to develop romantic feelings for Brand (who had a pre-existing crush on her); she even attempts to kiss him, not realizing (because she has her eyes closed) that she actually ends up kissing Mikey, although she does ask Stef if Brand wears braces.
After outrunning the pursuing Fratellis, the Goonies find the treasure, still onboard One-Eyed Willie's ship, which is concealed in a large cave and blocked off from the sea by a collapsed roof. Just as the eager Goonies are filling their pockets with loot, the Fratellis appear, and the children are forced at gun point to hand over all the treasure. Right as the Fratellis are about to finish the Goonies off, however, Sloth arrives with Chunk and uses his mighty strength to subdue the Fratellis, allowing the Goonies to escape, empty-handed but alive. When the Fratellis try to take some of the treasure on board the ship, they set off a booby trap that causes the cave to start collapsing and the ship to start making itself ready to sail. Trying to escape from the cave, the Goonies attempt to use some candles found in Chester Copperpot's bag, but one is actually a stick of dynamite; it explodes and causes a rockfall blocking a way out of the cave, but Sloth is able to hold the rocks up while they make their escape. The Goonies all escape unharmed, but the Fratellis - including Sloth - are all caught inside the collapsing cave.
The Goonies are found on the beach that morning by a police search party, and eventually reunited with their families. Much to everyone's happiness, an unharmed Sloth emerges onto the scene, still subduing the rest of his criminal family. Their joyful reunion, however, is cut short by the arrival of Mr. Perkins, the developer planning to buy and demolish the Goon Docks (who is also Troy's father), who anxiously awaits Mr. Walsh's signature on the contract. Right before Mr. Walsh signs the contract, Mikey's marble bag is revealed to be full of a large mass of precious stones - Mikey had replaced his marbles with the gems, and the Fratellis had forgot to check it while robbing the kids back on the pirate ship.
With the means to pay off Mr. Perkins, Mr. Walsh tears up the contract; the Goon Docks is saved from its fate of being redeveloped as a golf course. The police arrest the Fratellis, except for Sloth. Chunk tells Sloth that he can live with him and his family. As the Goonies and their parents marvel over the precious gems and the story of the Goonies' treasure hunt, One-Eyed Willie's ship suddenly appears, now free from the cavern. As the ship sails away, Mikey and the others bid farewell and thank-you to the legendary pirate.
While sometimes called a fantasy film for its improbable, child's-dream-come-true storyline, The Goonies does not actually use (very many) supernatural elements. Its premise is frequently compared to Explorers, a science fiction-adventure film starring teenagers, which Paramount Pictures released one month after The Goonies in 1985.
[edit] 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 talking - hence his nickname - often 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 Jewish 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.
- 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.
[edit] 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. It is revealed later in the film that he is deformed because Ma dropped him several times when he was a baby. A pivotal moment in the film occurs when he rips his outer shirt open, revealing a t-shirt with the Superman logo underneath. 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 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 a prank on her.
- 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.
Richard Donner makes a cameo appearance as one of the ATV-riding deputies on the beach near the end of the film.
[edit] Production
Principal photography on The Goonies began on October 22, 1984 and lasted five months. There was an additional six weeks of ADR recording.[1] The shooting script was lengthy, over 120 pages, and several sequences were eventually cut from the final theatrical version.
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.
[edit] 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 89%.[2] 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.[3] Some were concerned that Spielberg's name and style was merely being slapped onto a movie directed by someone else.[4]
The Goonies grossed US$9 million opening weekend in the US placed it second on the charts behind Rambo: First Blood Part II.[5] 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 in 1996.[1]
Fans of The Goonies celebrated its 20th anniversary in Astoria on June 3–5, 2005.
Several bands have been inspired by the film:
- The Ataris released a song and an album called "So Long, Astoria" (2003) that references the filming location of The Goonies as well as the plot in its lyrics. The song even ends with a quote from the movie made by the character Mouth: "This is my wish. I'm taking it back. I'm taking them all back."
- Yellowcard wrote a song titled "Martin Sheen or JFK" that was released on their album called "Lights and Sounds" (2006), which also features Mouth's line in the chorus.
- The Aquabats released a song about The Goonies called "Adventure Today" on their album Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2.
- The movie also inspired the name of punk rock band Slick Shoes, taken from when Goonies character Data exclaims, "I've got a great idea, you guys! Slick shoes!"
- A Spanish band called La Oreja de Van Gogh released the album El viaje de Copperpot (English: Copperpot's Journey) (2000) in a homage to the film (in the film, Chester Copperpot had tried to find One-Eyed Willie's treasure).
- Jim Jones, from the Harlem rap group The Diplomats (a.k.a. Dipset), appears to have used this movie and its characters as inspiration for some of his songs and catch phrases. In his guest appearance of a fellow Diplomats solo album, J. R. Writer's History in the Making, there is a track entitled "Goonies". In this song and on several other occasions, Jim Jones is known to refer to himself as "One-Eyed Willie", the pirate from the film. Jim Jones and other members of The Diplomats commonly refers to themselves as goonies, the "Goon Squad", and Jones himself as "King of the Goonie Goon Goons". DJ Diggz sampled Lauper's track for the intro track on his mixtape Goonies2k7 with new material from the Diplomats family.
- California punk band Set Your Goals released a song entitled "Goonies Never Say Die!" from their Reset EP. They also included the line "Down here is our time" in the song "Mutiny" from their album, Mutiny.
- Glasgow-based band The Fratellis often said in interviews they took their name out of the movie.
- Welsh band Lostprophets used the lyric "Andie, you Goonie" in the song "Can't Stop, Gotta Date with Hate" on their album Liberation Transmission.
- An American metalcore band, The Acacia Strain, named one of their songs "Sloth Loves Chunk".
- Indie-rock band Goodbye Elliot released a track called "Follow Them Size Fives" on their sophomore album Running to California (2007). The song takes its title from a line uttered by Ma Fratelli in the film.
- Now defunct PA Crust/Ska/Punk band No Cash featured various samples from the film in their song "A Better Tomorrow" off the album Run Your Pockets.
- Pieband sample Mouth's quote, "Yeah, but you know what? This one, this one right here. This was my dream, my wish. And it didn't come true. So I'm taking it back. I'm taking them all back," in the song "Watch Her Flow" from Barely Legal/All Ages.
[edit] Later releases
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.
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.[6]
- 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 (where the "8 Arms to Hold You" song can be heard), the convenience store scene, and scenes with Sloth and Chunk. This feature is called "Outtakes" in the menu.
- The theatrical trailer.
[edit] 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. This game 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 found in the film).
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. This machine was seen firsthand at the American Amusement Park, Cedar Point in Ohio about fifteen years ago.
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.[7]
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.[8] 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.[9] Also, an animated series was apparently briefly in the works for Cartoon Network, before being shelved due to contract disputes over using the actors' likenesses.[10] However, 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.[11] Additionally, 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."[12]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Audio commentary from The Goonies DVD (2001)
- ^ The Goonies - Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1985). The Goonies.
- ^ Hanke, Ken (2005-06-08). Movie Review: The Goonies. Mountain Xpress.
- ^ The Numbers - US Movie Box Office Chart Weekend of June 7, 1985
- ^ P., Ken (2003-12-23). IGN Interviews Sean Astin.
- ^ ReturnToAstoria.com
- ^ Ain't It Cool News: "Chunk says Goonies Never Say Die, news on GOONIES 2!". June 6, 2005.
- ^ Otto, Jeff (2006-02-02). IGN Interviews Richard Donner. “Q: Do you think it could ever happen? DONNER: We tried. No, I don't think so. We tried really hard. Steven and I, we pitched a couple of things to them and, quite honestly, they weren't right. And we put it aside. If I could ever find a really good handle on a screenplay for it, I'd go pitch it again.”
- ^ Character artwork for the Goonies cartoon
- ^ Stack, Tim (2007-03-28). 'Goonie' Tunes. EW.com.
- ^ Jacks, Brian (2007-10-08). Goonies Sequel An "Absolute Certainty," Says Astin. MTV.com.
[edit] References
- The Making of The Goonies. Documentary produced by Mick Garris in 1985.
[edit] External links
- Filming Locations
- The Goonies at the Internet Movie Database
- The Goonies 1985 New York Times film review by Janet Maslin
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