The Goonies
- For other uses, see Goonies (disambiguation).
| The Goonies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Richard Donner |
| Written by | Steven Spielberg (story) Chris Columbus (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Harvey Bernhard Richard Donner |
| Starring | Sean Astin Josh Brolin Jeff Cohen Corey Feldman Kerri Green Martha Plimpton Jonathan Ke Quan |
| Music by | Dave Grusin (orchestration) |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates | June 7, 1985 |
Running time | 114 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$19,000,000 |
The Goonies was a hit movie in 1985 directed by Richard Donner, with the screenplay written by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg. It is a film about a band of kids from a section of Astoria, Oregon, called the "Goon Docks". The "Goonies", hoping to save the Goon Docks from demolition, go on an adventure to find the buried treasure of a legendary 17th-century pirate named One-Eyed Willie.
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.
Plot summary
Just a day before greedy developers plan to aggressively foreclose on the Goon Docks to demolish it and turn it into a golf course, a young teenager named Mikey Walsh finds an old treasure map in his father's attic. Hoping to save their homes from demolition, Mikey and his friends Data Wang, Chunk Cohen, and Mouth Devereaux run off on a quest to find the secret stash One-Eyed Willie. The young Goonies find the entrance to a tunnel in a rundown restaurant that is serving as the hideout for a notorious family of criminals named the Fratellis, consisting of the two Fratelli Brothers and their mother. When the Fratellis return, the Goonies – now joined by Mikey's older brother Brand, his crush Andy Carmichael, and her friend, Stef Steinbrenner – are forced to follow the tunnel to escape.
One of the Goonies, Chunk, is captured and interrogated by the Fratellis, who demand that he "tell us everything" under threat of putting his hand in a blender. Instead of giving them information they wanted, Chunk told them every bad thing he had done in his past, at which point, Jake is amused, Francis is a little nauseated and Mama Fratelli, tired of his stalling, tells Francis to "hit puree," on the blender. Fortunately, his hand is saved, and his information about the hidden tunnel entrance and the promise of treasure at its end is proven, when bats fly out of the fireplace. The Fratellis enter the tunnel, leaving Chunk captive alongside a third huge, deformed Fratelli brother named Sloth, who the family keeps chained to the wall. Although Chunk is at first terrified of Sloth, he begins to befriend him as the film progresses. The other Goonies meanwhile proceed through the underground passages, overcoming dangerous booby traps laid by One-Eyed Willie centuries ago, finding the skeleton of 1930s explorer Chester Copperpot, and hoping to survive long enough to reach freedom. Their goal reverts 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 decide to continue the quest for the treasure so that they can save the Goon Docks. During this journey, Andy, who breaks up with her mean boyfriend, Troy Perkins, shortly after she arrives at the hideout, begins to develop romantic feelings for Brand (who has a crush on her). She even kisses him, not realizing (because she has her eyes closed) that she is really kissing Mikey.
After outrunning the pursuing Fratellis, the Goonies find the treasure, still on-board One-Eyed Willie's ship, which is concealed in a large cave, blocked off from the sea by a collapsed roof. The Fratellis appear just as the Goonies are filling their pockets with loot, and the children are forced to hand over all the treasure. However, the newly-freed Sloth also arrives with Chunk, allowing the Goonies to escape empty-handed. They use some candles they had found in Chester Copperpot's bag, but one is actually a stick of dynamite, which explodes and causes the cave to collapse, forcing everyone to flee for their lives. The Goonies are found on the beach by a search party and eventually reunited with their families. Luckily, Mikey's marble bag held a handful of large precious stones, saving the Goon Docks from its golf-course fate. The police arrest the Fratellis, except for Sloth, whom the Goonies defend; Chunk in turn tells Sloth that he can stay with him and his family. As the Goonies and their parents marvel over the precious gems, 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.
Cultural references
Sloth (John Matuszak) wears an Oakland Raiders T-shirt through much of the film. Matuszak spent most of his NFL career playing for the Raiders. Sloth rips off this shirt to reveal another shirt with the Superman shield late in the film. In that moment, part of the Superman theme composed by John Williams is played, a reference to Donner's 1978 film.
The sheriff describes a tall tale Chunk had told him about "creatures that multiply when you throw water on them". This is a reference to the film Gremlins, which had been released by Warner Bros. the previous year with Spielberg (producer), Chris Columbus (writer), and Corey Feldman.
Cast and characters
The film featured performances by a number of child actors:
- Sean Astin as 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. Like the other characters, he got wet, so he walked around with his jeans all wet and heavy. Although Mikey suffers from asthma, he continually acts as the group's never-ending supply of enthusiasm and spirit. It is his determination to save the Goon Docks that jump starts the film. Astin won a Young Artist Award for this role.
- Corey Feldman as Clark "Mouth" Devereaux, an obnoxious Goonie who 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 perfectly fluent in Spanish and supposedly other languages. He likes Stef.
- Jonathan Ke Quan (credited as Ke Huy Quan) as Richard "Data" Wang, an 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 various times.
- Jeff Cohen as Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen, a fat Goonie who makes up 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, he comes through for everyone in the end by befriending the intimidating but gentle Sloth; the two outsiders save the Goonies in a dire moment. A scene where Mouth denies Chunk entrance to their meeting unless he does the "Truffle Shuffle", namely lifting up his shirt and jiggling the fat on his body is a fan-favorite.
- Josh Brolin as Brand Walsh, Mikey's older brother who recently failed his driver's license test and has a crush on Andy Carmichael. A very strong young man, although he comes across as a typical overbearing older brother at first glance, he seems to genuinely care for his brother and the 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 however until he too is dead-set on finding the treasure.
- Kerri Green as Andy Carmichael, a cheerleader whom Brand has a crush on (they later start dating shortly after she breaks up with her boyfriend, Troy Perkins). Although jumpy and uncertain of the adventure she is swept up in, she 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 Stef Steinbrenner, a friend of Andy is a smart-mouthed, skeptical girl. If not for the age difference she could be perfect foil for Mouth as the two butt heads very often. Although just as jumpy as Andy is during their adventure, Stef is often far more organized in thought. Although she comes across as something of a smart-alec, she demonstrates that she can be quite compassionate.
Other actors included:
- Anne Ramsey as Ma Fratelli, the 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.
- 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.
Richard Donner makes a cameo appearance as one of the ATV-riding deputies on the beach near the end of the film.
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. One of the most noticeable removals was the octopus attack as the Goonies approached One-Eyed Willie's ship. Despite being cut, Data still tells a news reporter at the end of the film about how scary the octopus was. A song that appears in that scene called "Eight Arms to Hold You" was featured on The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The song also plays, though barely audible, in the scene when Chunk first enters the Walsh residence.
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.)
The museum where Mikey's father works is, in reality, the Captain George Flavel House Museum.
Deleted scenes
A number of scenes did not appear in the theatrical cut of The Goonies but appeared in later releases (most notably the DVD).
In the final scene, shortly after the Goonies arrive on the beach, they describe their adventure to an amazed group of parents and police. At this point you can hear Data say, "The octopus was really scary", referencing a scene with a monster octopus that was never included in the original theatrical release, yet appears as one of the deleted scenes in the DVD release. (It is possible that the reference to the octopus was left in by mistake, having been overlooked at the editing stage. However, it could be argued that Data was simply exaggerating the events of the adventure.)
The convenience store used is now the Astoria Coffee Company located on 304 37th Street in Astoria, Oregon, which is about a block from the location of the Goonies house. This scene was cut from the final film, but appeared after the bike ride through Astoria, but before reaching the shoreline.
Reception
Film critics were split over The Goonies. Rotten Tomatoes shows 21 positive reviews and 14 "rotten" ones, giving The Goonies an overall score of 60%, which is the lowest score possible without being considered "rotten". It scores much better with users, currently rating it 90%.[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 swore 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 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 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).
- There is a Japanese rock band called Sloth Love Chunk, referencing a line in the film.
- 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". In December DJ Diggz released the mixtape Goonies2k7 with new material from the Diplomats family, Cyndi Lauper's track is sampled for the intro track.
- Welsh rockers Lostprophets used the line "Andy, you goonie" in the song "Can't Stop, Gotta Date With Hate" from their CD Liberation Transmission (2006).
- In their song "A Better Tomorrow", the Crack Rock Steady band No-Cash has several audio clips from the Goonies; among them are Mouth's line about the coins in the wishing well.
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 29 January 1992.
Warner Home Video released The Goonies in widescreen on Region 1 DVD on 21 August 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 Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video by Cyndi Lauper. The video is notable in its casting of some 80s icons, like Andre 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.
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.
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 Fratelli's to One-Eyed Willie's treasure.[7]
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.[8] Richard Donner has expressed doubt that the sequel will ever happen.[9] 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.[10]
References
- ^ a b Audio commentary from The Goonies DVD (2001)
- ^ "The Goonies - Rotten Tomatoes". Retrieved 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.
- ^ Stack, Tim (2007-03-28). "'Goonie' Tunes". EW.com.
- The Making of The Goonies. Documentary produced by Mick Garris in 1985.
External links
- The Goonies at IMDb
- The Goonies 1985 New York Times film review by Janet Maslin