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The Goonies
What is the film you remember most from your childhood? The
film you probably watched more times than you can count? The film that opened
your eyes to the magic of movies and made you dream? If you can’t think of that
film off the top of your head, take a minute and ask yourself what it might be.
You will have one, I’m certain. Maybe you had more than one. I did, but the
film that stands out as the definitive movie of my childhood is none other than
“The Goonies”.
Released in 1985, “The Goonies” tells the story of a bunch
of adventurous kids who go on a treasure hunt. Sounds like a novel from
yesteryear doesn’t it? But these aren’t The Hardy Boys or Tin Tin; they are
delinquents, geeks, loners and punks. The Goonies consist of the following
characters;
Mikey – the youngest Goonie and the unsung leader of
the group. He is the central character, the conscience and the arc for the rest
of the kids. The younger brother of Brandon,
he helps the rest of the group see the importance in fighting for their home
and looking for the treasure to save their houses from being demolished.
Mouth – as you can guess, the talkative one in the
group. He’s a smart arse, a wise guy and a jokester. He always has a smart
comment ready and knows how to tick anyone off.
Data – living next door to Mikey and Brandon, Data is the Chinese kid on the
block. In a stereotypical representation of Asian kids, he’s clever, creative
and good with gadgets. Armed with a home made utility belt, he has a tool to get
him out of any sticky situation.
Chunk – the other clichéd character of the group -
the Fat Kid! He eats a lot, dresses in ridiculous clothes and likes to tell
fantastic stories of all the amazing things he sees on a daily basis, like the
time Michael Jackson came over to his house to use the bathroom - but no one in
the group ever believes him. But sometimes, he is telling the truth…
Brandon – the older brother of Mikey. Your typical
teenage boy; angry, self-centred and obsessed with girls. A jock in fact. He
pushes Mikey around like big brother does, but at the end of the day, is just
looking out for him.
Andy – the first of the two female members of The
Goonies. She’s a cheerleader, beautiful and outgoing, but rather flimsy. She
likes Brandon.
He likes her. You know the rest…
Stef – the best friend of Andy, kind of a nerd and
the mother-figure of the group. She and Mouth don’t get along.
Our young adventurers live in the seaside town of Astoria, Oregon which sits on the
Pacific North-West coast of America.
The neighbourhood they live in is aptly called the Goon Docks. Having all
convened at Mikey’s house, these kids are just hanging out on a rainy Saturday
afternoon with nothing to do. In fact, they are all preparing to move out of
their homes as some local developer is turning the neighbourhood where they
live into a Country Club. On this, the gloomiest day of their young lives and
twenty four hours before they have to leave, the boys head up to the attic to
snoop around in Mikey’s dad's old junk.
And what should they find amongst the
collections? A treasure map and a medallion. Mikey puts two and two together
and connects these findings to the story of One Eye Willy; a pirate who went
and hid his ship somewhere along the coast of their town. Sleeping in the
darkness of a cave this ship is meant to be full to the brim with treasure. No
one believes Mikey, but on this rainy afternoon the big-time developer who
plans to bulldoze their houses shows up to hand them some paperwork. This gets
the boys to decide to have one last try to save their houses and they all give
Mikey a chance to prove to them that the legendary treasure of One Eyed Willy
might actually exist.
The side story of this film involves a family of criminals
called the Fratelli’s. At the start of the film, one of them is broken out of
prison by his other brother and mother. In a high speed pursuit by police
through the town, the family of crims manage to escape and find an old
abandoned restaurant to hide out in.
Following the clues on the map, Mikey leads the way with the
rest of The Goonies in tow. Then the girls show up, so the whole gang is
assembled. They enter an abandoned restaurant overlooking the sea… which just
so happens to be the same place the Fratelli’s are hiding out in. They’re not
just hiding themselves in there though. In one of the cold, dark rooms in
restaurant basement, the third boy in the family is locked up with chains.
Mikey stumbles across this character; a large, grotesque and deformed looking
man who surely can’t be human. As we find out later, this beastly character
named Sloth turns out to be an ally for The Goonies and jumps into the
adventure at just the right time to help them out. And he is human by the way,
but just really ugly!
As the kids have noticed the criminals are in the same
restaurant as them, they look for a way out. Through a secret entrance
disguised by the fireplace, they all descend into the dark unknown and step by
step, work their way through a series of caves, tunnels, clues and booby traps.
This is when the fun really begins!
As it was released in the peak of the 1980’s, The Goonies is
as recognisable as ever. The clothes the kids wear, the way they talk, the pop
culture references and the music (an original song was written and performed
for the movie by Cyndi Lauper) all create a strong tie to the most innocent
decade of them all. Watching this film reminds me of being a kid, and the games
we played. I reckon I was determined to find an old treasure map at some point,
grab a shovel and dig holes all over my backyard until I found a chest of gold.
Hey, if The Goonies could do it, why not me?
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