Review: ‘The Goonies’ The Defining Centerpiece of 80s Cinema

I remember liking “The Goonies” upon its release June 7, 1985. Liking, but not loving. Which is nothing short of a blasphemous statement considering I’m a full-fledged nostalgia junkie. The film stands tall as one of the defining centerpieces of 1980s cinema. It has big stars when they were teenagers. There’s the inclusion of an adventure themed plot that focus on kids. Does it hold up nearly four decades after its release?

Set amidst the beautiful landscape of coastal Oregon, “The Goonies” is about a group of friends embarking on a magical quest. The friends reside in a poor neighborhood on the verge of being demolished by an evil Rich Person who wants to build a country club. The endgame of the quest is to save the neighborhood. In the process, the bonds of their friendship become stronger.

The gang of friends are cliché for the era. Corey Feldman, nicknamed Mouth, is the snarky one. Jonathan Ke Huy Quan plays Data, a boy with insanely wacky inventions. Jeff Cohen plays Chunk, the token fat kid whose trademark Truffle Shuffle still gets laughs. Sean Astin plays Mikey, the asthmatic leader of the group. “Nothing exciting ever happens around here anyway” he gripes at the films onset. Josh Brolin plays Mikey’s weightlifting older brother, Brand. Iconic character actors Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi, and Joe Pantoliano play the Fratellis; a group of criminals that oppose the kids along the way.

The characters and story itself are anything other than outlandish. You’ll figure out within the first handful of scenes that realism is not to be expected. But that’s perfectly fine considering the film was crafted and directed by a trio of dreamers; Richard Donner, Chris Columbus, and of course, Stephen Spielberg. One can see influences “The Goonies” had on future endeavors. The bumbling criminals are a clear basis for Harry and Marv in “Home Alone” which would be Chris Columbus’ gem a few years later. A few decades later the movie would be the obvious genesis for the Netflix series “Stranger Things.”

“The Goonies” is like an explosion of nostalgia. The décor of Mikey and Brand’s house. A television playing MTV. Bikes as a means of transportation. Do kids still ride bikes? Probably not. The themes of togetherness, kids versus adults, rich versus poor, believers versus nonbelievers. All represented well. A score by Dave Grusin that will cement you back in your childhood. These are the elements that make it still a cherished picture.

As a critic, I have to point out the many issues I had. A movie of this ilk has no business clocking in at 114 minutes. I know it’s partially due to the time period with which it was released. Moviegoers in 1985 had bigger expectations than the binge watching smart-phone-addicted audiences of today. But the pacing is quite poor, and once the adventure sequences begin, its overly repetitive. As mentioned before, it strays a touch too far off the track of realism. There’s literally a deformed monster that plays an integral part in the story.

“The Goonies” is the “Citizen Kane” of the 1980s. If you grew up in that era, you will certainly enjoy the nostalgia it brings. If you have never watched it, it’s worth checking out. It doesn’t land in my fondest memories of childhood movies. But it’s still a good production.

“The Goonies” is available to watch or stream from most streaming platforms. 

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