Goonies Are Good Enough

June 26, 2024

The Goonies is an iconic movie from the 1980s that has reached legendary status. It was produced by Steven Spielberg and directed and co-produced by the late Richard Donner. The classic has been watched and loved by generations. Whenever I read a discussion of a sequel or a remake, I pause and wonder why they would do that. I know those out there, including cast members, would love to revisit The Goonies with a sequel. The Goonies is such a great movie that it should remain a one-off and be left as is. Unless the movie is done exceptionally well with a great script, it will never equal or surpass the original. Nostalgia is such a great thing, and watching this movie takes you back to a time when you were an adventurous kid if you are in my age range. I was nine years old when this movie was released. Even now, driving down the coast, this movie crosses my mind. Also, living in Astoria, The Goonies is a constant reminder of my childhood. Kindergarten Cop and Short Circuit are two other 80s classics filmed in Astoria, Oregon.

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of The Goonies, and I am sure my hometown of Astoria will do something special. I still like to watch the movie and spot different areas and landmarks I can see regularly. For example, the jail in the film now houses the Oregon Film Museum. The Film Museum also has the Jeep Cherokee (ORV) with bullet holes parked outside. Another tourist spot in Astoria is the Goonie House. Previous owners were unhappy with people stopping by, but the new owners are Goonies fans and encourage people to stop by and take pictures. The car chase at the film's start includes the Astoria Bowling Alley, the old Astoria HS football field, 8th Street, and some other streets in Astoria. The building where Mike's dad works in the movie is The Flavel House, another tourist attraction in Astoria, built-in 1885. Other areas include Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach. This location is where they built the Fratelli's hideout for the movie. You can even see the famous Haystack Rock.

The Goonies gave us classic moments and sayings, including The Truffle Shuffle, Hey, You Guys, and Goonies Never Say Die. The movie also gave us an interesting director's cut with the octopus attack scene. The movie also created famous non-played roles, such as Chester Copperpot and the one and only One-Eyed Willy, whose treasure the kids seek.

The Goonie cast was also great, including Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Ke Huy Quan, Corey Feldman, and many more.

Sean Astin plays Mikey, the leader of The Goonies. Mikey is also the younger brother of Brand, played by Josh Brolin. The Goonie's was Sean Astin's first non-TV movie. Some notable movies/series Sean has been in include Rudy, Encino Man, Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, and the sad role of Bob Newby in Stranger Things.

Josh Brolin plays Brand, Mikey's older brother. Josh is arguably the most famous and successful member of the bunch. Josh went on to play some interesting characters, including Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cable from Deadpool 2, and recently Gurney Halleck in the new Dune movie series. Other notable movies/series Josh has been in include No Country For Old Men, True Grit, Men In Black 3, and the latest series on Amazon Prime called Outer Range.

Ke Huy Quan plays Data, the funny and quirky inventor of some exciting gadgets. Key Huy Quan, who also goes by Jonathon, recently won an Oscar in 2023 for his supporting role in the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once. He started acting as Short Round in the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom film. Some recent movies/series include Loki and Kung Fu Panda 4.

Corey Feldman plays Mouth, as the name implies, the loud-mouthy one. Since his days as Mouth, Corey has had a controversial career. Some high points have been his roles with his late friend Corey Haim, including the famous Lost Boys. There also has been some controversy during his troubled career, including drug use and sex allegations. Corey is touring around with his band Corey's Angels, playing various music, including the song Cry Little Sister from Lost Boys.

John Matuszak plays everyone's favorite 6'7" giant Sloth. He was also an actor and an NFL defensive lineman. The former first-round pick had several supporting roles in movies and television before his death at 38.

Jeff Cohen plays the lovable and funny Chunk in The Goonies. After That, Jeff didn't act much longer. He went in a different direction and became an entertainment lawyer to work on the industry's business side. Jeff recently made headlines as the legal representative negotiating for his Goonie brother Ke Huy Quan's Oscar-winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Kerri Green plays Andy, Brand's love interest. Around the same time as The Goonies, she starred in Lucas and Summer Rental. After that, she had a few supporting roles and cameos on other TV shows.

Martha Plimpton plays Andy's friend and constant worrier. Martha has had a busy, active acting career, with many supporting roles in movies and television. Some notable shows include Raising Hope and The Real O'Neals.

Joe Pantoliano plays Francis, the toupee-wearing Fratelli. Joe has many movie and television credits to his name, some of the most notable ones being the Matrix movie series, Memento, The Sopranos, and Captain Howard (can I get a woosah) from the Bad Boys movies.

Robert Davi plays Jake, the singing Fratelli. Like Joe, Robert has many movie and television credits. Movies include Die Hard, License To Kill, and Expendables 3.

Anne Ramsey plays Mama Fratelli. Anne is best known for her role in Throw Mama From The Train. She also had roles in Scrooged and various TV cameos.

As Cyndi Lauper sang, The Goonies 'R' good enough! The movie is good enough, too, and I don't want to see anything ruin this classic. We have seen what Episodes 7-9 of Star Wars have done to that movie franchise. Sometimes, things are best left the way they are.