With the recent news of Richard Donner announcing that there would be a sequel to Goonies, I’ve been thinking about that fun little adventure from my youth with much love and joy. I know I could ramble on and on about my thoughts on a Goonies 2, but I wanted to share my memories and love for the original movie. Goonies certainly goes down as one of the greatest movies to come out of the 80’s and even now after all these years the movie still plays fresh and full of the swashbuckling adventure I recall from my youth.

I was a kid in the 80’s. A young kid. I left the decade almost at the age of 8. So I remember the decade through rose colored glasses. Everything was magical and cool. Nothing reeked of irony or designer imposter perfume. In a word, nothing could really beat the movies I grew up with. Well… almost nothing.

For those who have never seen the Goonies let me fill you in. A group of kids calling themselves the Goonies due to the neighborhood they live in are down in the dumps because they are going to lose their homes to some rich uppity people. After coming across some items in an attic they decide to embark on an adventure to find the pirate One-Eyed Willie’s long lost treasure. Along the way their group gets a little larger and they come across a crime family bent on finding the treasure themselves. And there’s also a character named Sloth with a face that only a mother could love, but I could too, because he was one of my favorite characters.

Anyways, the movie was full of fun twists and turns. Action and some great humor were around every corner. Pretty much everyone in the movie played, or would play, in some impressive movie roles. Sean Astin was the main character Mikey. His older brother Brand was played by Josh Brolin. Can I just say for a mere moment that I had such a crush on Josh Brolin from the Goonies. I thought that when I made it to High School all the guys would look like Goonie’s era Josh Brolin and that I’d have him for a boyfriend. Headband and all.

Of course that’s not all! Corey Feldman (Mouth) was in the movie as well. He along with Martha Plimpton had the lines that always made me laugh. I still crack up over Martha’s ‘Stef’ character. She was full of attitude. The other female character was Kerri Green (Andy) from Lucas and Summer Rental. Kerri Green was always one of those actresses that I thought was so pretty. She played characters that I wanted to emulate or look up to. It’s a shame she never really did much else in terms of acting.

Other familiar faces from the film were Jonathan Luke Ke Huy Quan (Short Round from Indiana Jones Temple of Doom.) His was another memorable role as Data while the slightly annoying but lovable character Chunk was played by Jeff Cohen. The other two most notable characters were the vile Mama Fratelli and Sloth. Anne Ramsey portrayed the vicious Mama and there was just something about that actress. Her face could get so twisted that it was hard to tell if she was real or a really good animation.

Sloth was a very cool character and probably one of the most important characters in the film, at least to me. He was the misunderstood member of the Fratelli crime family because his face was deformed. Think Jason Vorhees without the hockey mask. I adored Sloth. I felt for him and I loved how protective he was to the kids. That was one of the great messages I got from this movie; that judging someone based on their looks loses out on the experience of going on a fantastic adventure with them. John Matuszak gave Sloth life, but sadly he died a few years after the Goonies was made.

Goonies was a big deal for me. The movie was filled with so much adventure. Richard Donner directed a great little tale that has been an enjoyable movie to this very day. It was a movie that felt like a classic when it came out.

Of course, one cannot fully address The Goonies without mentioning the theme song sung by Cyndi Lauper. When I was little there were two singers that could always get me hopping around the room singing at the top of my lungs: Madonna, and of course, Cyndi Lauper. The two of them sung the songs that still get me into the groove and fill that hole in my heart that goes all the way to China. It’s like I’m young at heart forever.

The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough was a fun song and an even better music video! Cyndi Lauper romps around with professional wrestlers from the 80’s! Yes please! It was an epic slice of heaven to accompany the movie. I have so many wonderful memories associated with this movie and song. I can only hope that if a sequel does indeed happen, it will introduce the magic of Goonies to a whole new generation. Although, come to think of it, younger generations are hopefully being introduced to the original anyway. I hope.

Share your thoughts on the Goonies sequel and any memories about the original! Hope all is well. Take care everyone.