The Goonies

The Goonies

Synopsis of Movie

Try this. Go find any person born in the mid-to-late 1970’s and repeat one of the following phrases:

“Down here it’s our time!”

“Booty traps!” “You mean booby traps?” “That’s what I said!”

“Bay…bee…Ruth?”

“Truffle shuffle”

Chances are, you’ll get at least a smile, if not a deluge of other quotes from The Goonies. It didn’t earn half as much money as fellow 80’s family films like Look Who’s Talking, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? or E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, but for some reason, it seems anyone who was a kid in 1985 can just about quote The Goonies by heart.

The Goonies are a group of teens and pre-teens from a small seaside community. There’s Mouth, the wiseacre; Data, the James Bond wannabe; Mikey, the everykid; Brandon, Mikey’s older brother; and Chunk, whose name says it all. The gang’s existence is threatened by a group of greedy developers planning to turn Mikey’s house into a golf course, so when the kids find a treasure map in Mikey’s attic, they know it’s up to them to save their homes. Heading out in search of the treasure, the group is joined by Brandon’s would-be girlfriend Andy and her smart-mouthed pal, Stef.

The Goonies’ search leads them into dangerous underground caves peppered with hidden tunnels, baffling puzzles and a string of “booty traps.” And as if that weren’t enough danger, the gang is also pursued by criminal matron Mama Fratelli and her escaped convict sons Jake and Francis. Luckily for the Goonies, Mama Fratelli has another son, Sloth, a deformed outcast with a big heart and a strong frame (and a taste for Baby Ruths). Even with Sloth’s help, the Goonies have a hard road ahead if they’re going to escape with the treasure. They’ll be lucky enough to escape with their lives.

The movie had a pedigree ranging from The Little Rascals to Raiders of the Lost Ark, a thrilling adventure with a healthy dose of pre-teen comedy. It also had the talents of three A-list or future A-list Hollywood directors: Richard (Lethal Weapon) Donner directed, Chris (Home Alone) Columbus wrote the script and Steven (insert mega-hit) Spielberg provided the original story.

It may not have been E.T., but The Goonies was still a sizeable success. And if you have any doubt about the movie’s staying power, go ask that 80’s child when he or she last watched it. Every generation has its guilty pleasures. Twentysomethings have The Goonies.

Movie Release History

1985 - The Goonies

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
sci-fi/fantasy
action/adventure
comedy

Movie Studio

Warner Bros., Amblin Ent.

Cast

Mike "Mikey" Walsh Sean Astin
Brandon "Brand" Walsh Josh Brolin
Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen Jeff Cohen
Clarke "Mouth" Devereux Corey Feldman
Andrea "Andy" Carmichael Kerri Green
Stefanie "Stef" Steinbrenner Martha Plimpton
Ricky "Data" Wang Jonathan Ke Quan
Lotney "Sloth" Fratelli John Matuszak
Jake Fratelli Robert Davi
Francis Fratelli Joe Pantoliano
Mama Fratelli Anne Ramsey
Rosalita Lupe Ontiveros
Irene Walsh Mary Ellen Trainor
Irving Walsh Keith Walker
Elgin Perkins Curtis Hanson

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