Jump to content

The Goonies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mrwojo (talk | contribs) at 03:03, 10 January 2006 (prev. edit sounded like the Goonies succeeded at turning the Goon Docks into a golf course (and added a spoiler); extended old wording to summarize action as wanted). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Goonies
File:Goonies-dvd.jpg
Directed byRichard Donner
Written bySteven Spielberg (story)
Chris Columbus (screenplay)
Produced byHarvey Bernhard
Richard Donner
StarringSean Astin
Josh Brolin
Jeff Cohen
Corey Feldman
Kerri Green
Martha Plimpton
Ke Huy Quan
Music byDave Grusin (orchestration)
Distributed byWarner Brothers
Release dates
June 7, 1985
Running time
114 min.
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$19,000,000

The Goonies was a hit movie in 1985, produced by Steven Spielberg, and directed by Richard Donner, with the screenplay written by Chris Columbus from Spielberg's story. It was an escapist film for children and teenagers about a band of misfit 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 pirate named One-Eyed Willie.

A popular 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 Andre the Giant) in the 12-minute "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video. Lauper also had a cameo as herself in the movie performing this song on TV. Steven Spielberg had a cameo as himself in "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video.

Allegedly a film sequel was in the works, something long desired by fans of the first. Donner said that he had a story that 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.

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler

When developers plan to buy the entire Goon Docks to demolish and turn into a golf course, a group of Goon Docks children who call themselves "Goonies" decide to have one last adventure together. In his father's attic, Mikey finds an old treasure map that supposedly leads to the secret stash of a legendary 17th century pirate named "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. When the Fratellis return, the Goonies are forced to follow the tunnel to safely escape them.

One of the Goonies, Chunk, is captured and interrogated by the Fratellis, revealing the hidden tunnel entrance and the promise of treasure at its end. The Fratellis enter the tunnel, leaving Chunk captive alongside a huge and deformed Fratelli brother named Sloth, who the family keeps chained to the wall. The other Goonies proceed through the underground passages, overcoming dangerous booby traps laid by One-Eyed Willie centuries ago, hoping to survive long enough reach freedom. Their goal reverts to finding the treasure, though, 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.

After outrunning the nearing Fratellis, the Goonies come to the treasure, which is still on-board One-Eyed Willie's ship. The Fratellis appear just as they are filling their pockets with loot, but the newly freed Sloth also arrives with Chunk, allowing the Goonies to escape empty-handed. The Fratellis trigger one last booby trap that 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 reunite with their families. Luckily, Mikey's marble bag held a handful of large precious stones, saving the Goon Docks from its golf course future. The police arrest the Fratellis, except for Sloth, and everyone watches as One-Eyed Willie's ship sails out to the open sea.

While sometimes called a fantasy film for its improbable, child's-dream-come-true storyline, The Goonies does not actually use supernatural elements. Its premise is frequently compared to Explorers, a science fiction-adventure film starring teenagers that Paramount Pictures released one month after The Goonies in 1985.

Characters and cast

File:Goonies Cast.JPG
The Goonies 2001 cast reunion (left to right): Jonathan Ke Quan, Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, producer/director Richard Donner, Jeff Cohen, and Josh Brolin.

The film featured performances by a number of child actors:

Other actors included:

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 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 exclusively in that scene called "Eight Arms to Hold You" was featured on The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

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 when 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 merely destroyed after shooting because they could not find anyone who wanted it.)

Reception

Film critics were split over The Goonies. Rotten Tomatoes shows 16 positive reviews and 11 "rotten" ones, giving The Goonies an overall score of 59% where 60% is the cutoff for fresh movies. Several reviewers noted that the movie appeared to be enjoyable for children and teens, but not so much for adults. It was also slightly controversial that the child stars said "shit" and "bullshit" numerous times throughout the film. [2] Some were concerned that Spielberg's name and style was merely being slapped onto a movie directed by someone else. [3]

The Goonies US$9 million opening weekend in the US placed it second on the charts behind Rambo: First Blood Part II. [4] 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 that were children or teens in the 1980s. Chunk actor Jeff Cohen used the slogan "Chunk for President" in his successful campaign for UCLA class president in 1996. [5] The Ataris released a song called "So Long, Astoria" (2003) that references the filming location of The Goonies as well as the plot in its lyrics. Fans of The Goonies celebrated its 20th anniversary in Astoria on June 3–5, 2005.

Later releases

The Goonies was first released on VHS video in the United States in March 1986 and the laserdisc version 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:

  1. Commentary by actors Jonathan Ke Quan, Corey Feldman, Sean Astin, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jeff Cohen, Josh Brolin, and director Richard Donner. Interestingly, this option frequently switches back and shows the actors and Donner gathered together as they are watching the film while recording the commentary.
  2. A 7-minute behind-the-scenes documentary called The Making of The Goonies
  3. "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" music video by Cyndi Lauper
  4. 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.
  5. The theatrical trailer

Video games

Nintendo produced an arcade game based on The Goonies. Konami created another version for the MSX (The Goonies) and Famicom (Goonies). There is also an NES game, The Goonies II. Only Goonies II was released in North America, 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 (not entirely unrelated to the film) and to ultimately free a mermaid named Annie (completely unrelated to the film).

References

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Goonies&oldid=34569141"