The Goonies
Director: Richard Donner
Writer: Chris Columbus
Cast: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Quan, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Anne Ramsey

Plot:
Mikey (Sean Astin) and his brother Brandon (Josh Brolin) live in the Goon Docks – an entire housing area that is threatened with foreclosure. Just before they have to move out, the two of them plus Mikey’s friends Mouth (Corey Feldman), Data (Jonathan Ke Quan) and Chunk (Jeff Cohen) stumble on a pirate treasure map. They decide to go on an adventure, picking up Andy (Kerri Green) and Stef (Martha Plimpton) on the way. But that adventure is not only one last hope of saving the Goon Docks, but also makes them cross paths with the Fratellis, a gangster family who also happen to be in the area.

I don’t know how many times I saw The Goonies as a child. I absolutely loved it. And I’m happy to say that it absolutely stood the test of time. It’s sweet and fun and basically embodies adventure movies in general.

If there’s one thing I have to critcize about the film it’s the way Chunk is treated. That he’s called Chunk at all is already bad enough, but him being fat is a constant source of amusement, especially to Mouth and that’s a bit much. But then again, the movie doesn’t hide the fact that Mouth is an ass, so there’s that, too.

Other than that, though, it is a wonderfully entertaining film, even if you’ve seen it a million times already. It’s a film that remains firmly with it’s kid protagonists, so that it almost feels like it was written by a teenager itself – with all the naivité and stereotypes that come with that fact.

And it is really funny to realize who those kids have become. I mean, I was aware who Corey Feldman was and that he was in this, but I never actually realized that it was Sean Astin, Josh Brolin or Martha Plimpton as well. And that even though I was suprised how well I knew the film and how much of it I still remembered, despite not having seen it in about 15 years or so (alright, maybe 10).

I just really enjoy the story and the characters, even though it certainly isn’t the most complex of worlds, it was made with so much charm, enthusiasm and laughter that you barely need the nostalgia factor at all to enjoy it.

Summarizing: everybody should grow up with this film.