The Goonies (film)

The Goonies
Theatrical poster art by Drew Struzan
Directed by	Richard Donner
Produced by	Richard Donner Harvey Bernhard
Screenplay by	Chris Columbus Steven Spielberg (story)
Starring	Sean Astin Josh Brolin Jeff Cohen Corey Feldman Kerri Green Martha Plimpton Ke Huy Quan
Music by	Dave Grusin
Edited by	Michael Kahn
Production company	Amblin Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Running time	114 min
Release date	June 7, 1985
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$19 million
Box office	$61.5 million

This article is under construction. It is current in an unfinished state and, as such, may be missing information.

The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure movie directed by Richard Donner.

Synopsis

The same day that a family of notorious criminals escape jail is the last day before the Goon Docks of Astoria are to be sold away to the Astoria Country Club. The Goonies, who live in the Goon Docks, discover an old treasure map previously belonging to One-Eyed Willy, an infamous pirate with a treasure that has been long forgotten. With their last hurrah, they set off to discover the treasure hidden below Astoria to save their home, while avoiding the Fratellis and Willy's deadly booby traps along the way.

Plot

During lunch time at Clatsop County Jail, Jake Fratelli tricks a Prison Guard into believing he's committed suicide. Knocking the guard unconscious, he makes his escape. Outside, his brother and his mother pick him up and make their getaway. The cops give chase and ultimate lose track of them in a local ORV race on the beach; a certain group of kids all across town are all too distracted to notice, save for Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen.

Meanwhile, Michael Walsh, or just "Mikey" to his friends and family, is lamenting the loss of his home, the Goon Docks, which is meant to be demolished the following day. His brother, Brandon Walsh - shortened to "Brand" - is tasked with watching over him due to his asthma and the poor weather. The rest of Mikey's friends arrive to spend one last day together as the titular "Goonies"; Clarke "Mouth" Devereaux arrives and teases Brand for failing his driver's test, Richard "Data" Wang quite literally crashes through the door via zip line, and Chunk shows up telling the outlandish story of the car chase he saw earlier, which nobody believes.

Mikey's mother stops by the house with a maid she's hired to help pack for the family's move. While Mouth offers to translate for her (only to torment the poor lady), the others clamor over fixing a statue Chunk broke. After Mikey's mom leaves for the grocery store, The Goonies decide to root around the attic to look at Mikey's dad's stored museum pieces.

Up in the attic, they discover pirate memorabilia and artifacts. While trying to stop his friends from ruining all of it, Mikey discovers a dusty old framed map and a doubloon, both dating back to 1632. When Brand attributes it to One-Eyed Willy, local infamous pirate, Mikey recalls a story told to him by his father, about Willy; the story goes that, after being trapped in a cave by the British armada, he crafted booby traps to protect his treasure, which has been sitting there after all this time. While nobody believes the story at first, Chunk discovers a framed newspaper about Chester Copperpot, a local explorer who went missing while trying to find the treasure.

Mr. Perkins drops by unannounced, handing off foreclosure paperwork for Mr. Walsh. Morale low after Mr. Perkins' visit, the Goonies decide to try and go after the treasure. They tie up Brand against a sofa chair with workout bands, making it impossible for him to escape. They flatten his bike tires, and then ride off on their own bikes. Rosalita comes home from the grocery store and releases Brand from his resistance bands and, upon discovering his bike tires are flat, Brand steals a children's bike from Data's sister.

Out at Ecola State Park, the Goonies use the map to match up their location with Haystack Rock, leading them in the right direction. Brand, meanwhile, is pedaling as hard as he can. Down the road are Troy Perkins, Andrea Carmichael, and Stephanie Steinbrenner, all out for a ride in Troy's Ford Mustang GT. They encounter Brand and Andy offers him a ride. Troy, however, pins his hand to the side of his car and starts driving as fast as he can. The girls try to make him stop, but are futile, and Brand is sent flying off a steep hill.

After using the doubloon with a series of landmarks, Mikey, Mouth, Data, and Chunk arrive at the Lighthouse Lounge, an abandoned restaurant that seems to be open against the odds. They see two people enter the building, thinking they're customers. Unphased by what sounds like gunshots, the boys investigate the building. Chunk, meanwhile, discovers an ORV in the garage, with bullet holes in the trunk door. He pieces things together and realizes it's the same ORV he saw from before.

Inside the Lighthouse Lounge, they meet the Fratellis, who all play along that this is their restaurant. She threatens to cut off Mouth's tongue, intimidating them into silence. The Goonies slowly begin to realize something is wrong and Chunk exclaims about the ORV in the garage, but nobody believes him. Mikey uses an excuse of needing to use the bathroom to get into the basement. Down here, he stumbles across Jake abusing an "It"; Mikey helps the poor thing but is scared back to the first floor when he sees its face.

Brand has arrived and pulls the Goonies outside, where Mikey excitedly tells them about what he found. They watch the Fratellis bring something outside to put in their car and get scared when Stef and Andy suddenly arrive, having apparently ditched Troy. The younger boys go off to check out the restaurant again, while Brand makes talk with his crush. The door to the place is locked, but a quick quip from Mouth tricks Chunk into ramming the front door open.

They head inside and Brand follows to wrangle them back up. Left outside by themselves, Andy and Stef are scared indoors after coming face to face with a rotting fish head on a rake. Andy talks Brand into giving the boys some time to explore in return for spending time with her. When they head downstairs, Mikey tries to show them the creature he discovered, but the Goonies all get scared and fall backwards into an adjacent room.

Believing this to be the lowest point of the building, Mikey attempts to dig through the floor with a fire pick, only stopped when it doesn't work. Chunk accidentally breaks a water cooler, which spills water across the floor and down somewhere. Mikey points this out and discovers a hidden passageway built into the room's fireplace. Meanwhile, Data has activated a strange machine, which begins printing fifty dollar bills, quickly determined to be fake. A newspaper nearby identifies the "owners" of the restaurant as the Fratelli criminal family who escaped jail earlier that day. Chunk, unthrilled by everything, smells ice cream from the freezer nearby. He does not notice there is a dead body being stored in there until it falls out on him.

The Fratellis arrive back home and notice that someone may have broken in. The Goonies shove the body back into the freezer, accidentally leaving Chunk behind. They look for a way to escape and ultimately climb down into the secret passage to get away. After the Fratellis investigate the area, Chunk scrambles out of the freezer and out a window to get the police. He is quickly discovered by Jake and Francis, who forcibly bring him back to the Lighthouse Lounge.

Down underground, the Goonies discover a series of plumbing pipes that they bang on to get attention from above ground. The pipes, in reality, connect to the Astoria Country Club, where mischief happens. Everything breaks and spewing water reveals a new cavern. Meanwhile, Chunk is interrogated by the Fratellis, who he begins telling his life story to them.

Continuing down a series of tunnels, the Goonies discover the skeleton of Chester Copperpot. On his person is a copper medallion, which Mikey takes. Mikey triggers a booby trap and a series of large boulders begin falling. They all hurry out of danger's way, where Brand moves a large rock and bats fly out of the hole it previously covered up. The bats fly all the way up through the hidden passageway in the fireplace, saving Chunk from the Fratellis.

Below, his friends discover what appears to be Willy's treasure, only to discover the coins are modern currency and that they're at the bottom of a wishing well. Meanwhile, The Fratellis discover the doubloon, which has fallen out of Chunk's pocket - this is what confirms that Chunk has been telling the truth about pirate treasure under the restaurant. Francis ties him up and leaves him with Sloth, the deformed Fratelli brother, the "It" from before.

Troy and his friends happen to be hanging out around the wishing well and offer to save Andy (and the Goonies), but a quick heartfelt speech from Mikey keeps them focused on finding One-Eyed Willy's "rich stuff".

Chunk quickly befriends Sloth over their shared interest of candy and food. He attempts to call the Sheriff, who doesn't believe his story about pirate treasure and Italian mobsters. Mikey triggers another booby trap, this one nearly claiming Data's life, who is only saved by his Pinchers of Peril.

During a quick bathroom break, Andy calls out for Brand to come see her; Brand sends Mikey in his place and Andy ends up kissing him in the dark. After everyone is finished, the Fratellis catch up, and they run off. Data uses his Slick Shoes to slow down the criminals' advance while Andy is tasked with solving the puzzle of the Bone Organ. After a series of near fails, the pathway opens up, and everyone scrambles to safety.

They ride down a waterslide into a lagoon where Willy's old ship, the Inferno has been this whole time. Climbing up into it, the Goonies eventually come to a dead end, up until Andy accidentally triggers a booby trap that reveals the way up. In this chamber of the ship, Mikey finally discovers One-Eyed Willy and all his riches. The Goonies gather up what they can only for Mama Fratelli to arrive with a gun.

Out on the deck, Data attempts to fight the Fratellis; his inventions mostly fail, but he manages to disarm Mama at the least. The kids are gathered up and are forced to drop all the treasure they hold. Mama Fratelli pushes Andy overboard and Brand jumps to her rescue. Before Stef and Mouth can be tossed into the water, Sloth and Chunk make a grand entrance. Sloth confronts his family while the Goonies escape overboard. Brand and Andy finally share their kiss, only for Brand to get mad when he realizes that she kissed Mikey earlier.

The Fratellis, after recovering from their encounter with the strong Sloth, loot the ship and accidentally trigger one last booby trap that has set the entire cavern to fall apart. The Goonies escape the area, only for Sloth to stay behind to help his family.

Out on the beach in the morning light, they are saved by a roving set of policemen. Reunited with their families, Mikey laments losing the treasure. All the Fratellis arrive to safety as well, and Sloth is spared from arrest, with Chunk promising he'll be part of the Cohen family from now on. Mr. Perkins asks Irving Walsh to sign off the documents to finally obtain the Goon Docks for the country club, but Rosalita discovers a series of precious gems hidden in Mikey's marble bag. With these gems procured, the Goon Docks are saved and won't be demolished.

With the lagoon crumbled to pieces, everyone on Cauldron Point is amazed to see the Inferno back on the ocean, sailing off into the horizon one last time.

Cast

• Sean Astin as Mikey
• Josh Brolin as Brand
• Jeff Cohen as Chunk
• Corey Feldman as Mouth
• Kerri Green as Andy
• Martha Plimpton as Stef
• Ke Huy Quan as Data
• John Matuszak as Sloth
• Robert Davi as Jake
• Joe Pantoliano as Francis
• Anne Ramsey as Mama Fratelli
• Lupe Ontiveros as Rosalita
• Mary Ellen Trainor as Irene Walsh
• Keith Walker as Irving Walsh
• Curtis Hanson as Mr. Perkins
• Steve Antin as Troy Perkins (Clay Greenbush as backup)
• Paul Tuerpe as Sheriff
• George Robotham as Prison Guard
• Charles McDaniel as Chunk's father
• Elaine Cohen McMahon as Chunk's mother
• Michael Paul Chan as Data's father
• George Nicholas McLean as Mouth's father
• Kene Holliday as cop
• Jeb Adams and Eric Briant Wells as Troy's friends
• Gene Ross, Max Segar, and Newton Dennis Arnold as men in shower
• Jack O'Leary and Patrick Cameron as reporters
• Orwin Harvey as Tennis Player
• Ted Grossman as FBI Man

Crew

Director

Richard Donner

Producers

Richard Donner and Harvey Bernhard

Story

Steven Spielberg

Screenplay

Chris Columbus

Executive producers

Steven Spielberg
Frank Marshall
Kathleen Kennedy

Director of photography

Nick McLean

Production designer

J. Michael Riva

Film editor

Michael Kahn

Music score

Dave Grusin

Behind the scenes

Production

The Goonies was originally named "The Goon Kids" in Steven Spielberg's original story concept.

The film began principal photography on October 22, 1984. It was mostly shot in order by script, and took about five months to finish. Almost all scenes not set in the caves were shot on location in Astoria, OR; other filming locations included Cannon Beach, Ecola State Park, as well as California's Goat Rock Beach. The caves were shot on set, with Burbank's Stage 16 being used for housing the Inferno.

Donner's directing style for The Goonies was a fast and loose one, going as far as to make changes to the script on the fly. One of the most well-known facts about the movie is that the child actors were not allowed to see the large Inferno set, in order to capture honest first reactions to it on film. However, their initial reactions were so fervent and full of swears that it required a second take. Josh Brolin claims he snuck a sneak peek at the ship one day during production, however.

Many of the film's animatronics and prosthetics, such as the ones used for Sloth's makeup, were created by Burman Studios. Industrial Light & Magic also helped, notably with the five-foot replica used in the movie's final shot and with special effects and green screening. Data's many inventions were created by Special Effects artist Doyle Smiley and Special Effects Coordinator Matt Sweeney; they all worked as they were intended to.

The film has a number of deleted scenes cut from the final version. The most famous of these is the octopus scene, which is still referenced by Data in the last scene of the movie.

Adaptions

The Goonies was adapted into a novel by James Kahn, released a month before the film. A storybook also exists, as well as a number of activity and coloring books.

The Goonies has been adapted into a number of video games. Direct adaptions were released for the Nintendo Famicom and Famicom Disk Engine, the arcade VS. System, the PC-88 computer, and the Sharp X1 compute, the MSX computer, and the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC computers. A sequel to the Famicom game was later made, as The Goonies II.

LEGO Dimensions featured a level pack for The Goonies, with missions and worlds based on the movie.

It was reported that The Goonies would receive adaptions in the form of a comic mini-series, an animated cartoon on Cartoon Network, and a musical, but all of these plans were cancelled.

Sequel

The possibility of a sequel to The Goonies has existed since 2004, when Richard Donner reported interest in another story. The idea of one was debunked by multiple actors from the original. Sean Astin showed interest in one in an interview in 2007, while Corey Feldman, again, debunked a sequel in 2008.

Donner again explained interest in 2010 with the release of The Making of a Cult Classic: The Unauthorized Story of The Goonies, and claimed to have a script for it in 2014.

No news of an official sequel has been released since then, with the only "sequel" existing being The Goonies II.

Soundtrack and score

Main article: The Goonies (album)

Main article: The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The original score for The Goonies was created by composer Dave Grusin. It borrows from other film scores, such as Superman and Adventure of Don Juan for incidental parts of the movie, both relating to the character of Sloth. The score itself wasn't officially released until 2010.

A compilation soundtrack with music featured in the movie was released alongside its release. This included singles such as "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" by Cyndi Lauper, "Eight Arms To Hold You" by Goon Squad, and more.

Trivia

• According to the newspaper found in the Lighthouse Lounge basement, The Goonies takes place on the evening of October 24, 1985 (and the morning of the 25th). This date was also used in the novel adaption.

Gallery

Alternate poster art for The Goonies by John Alvin.

The Japanese poster for The Goonies by Noriyoshi Ohrai

Cover of the DVD release of The Goonies, based on Noriyoshi's poster.

DVD / Blu-Ray cover for The Goonies, based on John Alvin's poster.

External links

• The Goonies (film) on Wikipedia
• The Goonies (film) on IMDb