The Best Kid Movie of the 1980s- "The Goonies"

Being a child of the Eighties, there are all sort of cool things that I (and others my age) get to be simultaneously ashamed of and nostalgic about. Among these are crimped hair, tapered acid wash jeans, the "Back to the Future" movie craze, the neon color family, mullets, cut-off jean shorts, blue eyeliner, scrunchies, and jelly shoes. The popularity of The New Kids on the Block and hair metal in the same decade is baffling, as is the sex symbol status of Kevin Bacon. However, one thing is certain in my book, I will always love and treasure one particular guilty pleasure flick I consider a classic: Steven Spielberg and Richard Donner's kid paradise, "The Goonies."

So, before you move on to another hub, allow me to make an argument for the classic status of this kid flick that you may have passed at some odd hour on cable television. When released in 1985, "The Goonies" was an under-performing movie directed at kids and pre-teens. It had so much in its favor: the writing talents of Steven Spielberg (who would go onto undoubtedly more serious pursuits), a trendy eighties soundtrack featuring Cyndi Lauper, a who's who of young actors including Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, and Martha Plimpton. It was poised to sell "Happy Meal" toys and pack theatres. However, instead of soaring into theatres, it landed with a resounding thud. Kids like me discovered in during its airing on TBS at late hours and the requisite Halloween time airing on NBC. Like other "cult classics" before it, "The Goonies" has taken on a second life in the minds of its fans who, like me, can quote entire scenes from memory.

So, why is it that a film marketed to kids still holds a place in the heart of people hovering around the thirty mark? Well, allow me to offer a few reasons why "The Goonies" is still a favorite for people like me, who haven't been kids in quite a while.

• The Story. Okay, so this seems like a fairly simple point, since a good movie needs to have a solid plot that the target audience can follow and relate to. Well, the plot of "The Goonies", while a little silly, is one that almost every kid can appreciate. In a nutshell, "The Goonies" is the story of the "haves" and the "have nots". When a group of wealthy arrogant developers moves into the hometown of the Walsh brothers, Mikey and Brandon, their family is forced to move. These corporate rats want to build a golf course in the middle of their neighborhood, which they affectionately call "The Goon Docks." Here's where things get improbable and really good: Mikey and his "Goonie" friends ( a rag-tag group of, well, losers) stumble on a treasure map leading to hidden fortunes, they embark on a quest to find pirate "One-Eyed Willie"'s treasure and save their home. This noble quest puts them in contact with some hardened criminals, the Fratellis, also in search of the riches. On their journey, they encounter a friendly Sloth, the world's most horrifying Italian restaurant, a cavern that resembles a water park, the skeletal remains of other explorers, an octopus, and finally, a pirate ship. It's a convoluted plot to adults, but to kids, it's thoroughly probable and understandable. "The Goonies" become our heroes, for all of their faults and goofiness.
• The Dialogue. No good comedy can succeed without its humorous moments, usually achieved through funny dialogue and "The Goonies" is truly funny. Take for example the scene in which the movie's funniest character, Chunk (the overweight scapegoat of the group) recounts his time at "fat camp". Another funny moment occurs when Mouth, the fast-talking, smart-aleck Goonie (Corey Feldman), has a laugh at the expense of the Walsh's hired help, a sweet Spanish woman whom he scares into thinking the Walsh family deals drugs. The scenes involving the Fratellis, the criminals vying with the Goonies for the pirate booty, are slapsticky fun, especially when their disfigured brother, "Sloth" is on the scene. The thing that makes the movie's dialogue the most genuine is the way that the kids actually talk like kids: they stumble over their words, mispronounce, and sometimes use "uh" and "like" nonstop. They aren't the eloquent, savvy, sophisticated kids you see in movies today.
• The Heart. That's right. Here's where this hub will get a little cheesy- "The Goonies" tugs at the heartstrings of the most jaded adult. Who doesn't love to root for the little guy who, against all odds, is successful in the end? Well, this movie is chocked full of kids that you feel like you knew during your childhood, such as the goofy, insecure Chunk who is the butt of everyone's jokes (his friends make him dance a humiliating jig called the "Truffle Shuffle" just to enter their homes), the brash Mouth, who actually is as insecure as the rest, wide-eyed optimist Mikey, and Brandon, who wants to get the girl of his dreams, even though he's in competition with a wealthy quarterback for her affections. It's impossible not to have a little lump in your thought when Mikey gives his pep talk to the other Goonies, asserting "Goonies never say die!" Is it silly? Does it make you feel like a twelve year old as you watch? Yep, but this movie has a giant, sloppy, beating heart that some modern kids' flicks lack.

So, next time you are surfing the channels and stumble on a little movie called "The Goonies", put on your neon green scrunchie or your "Billy Idol" t-shirt and watch. Though dated, many aspects of this movie are timeless and I know my daughter will enjoy it one day.