The Goonies

The Goonies has a rich and indomitable air of all-American innocence.

A rolicking good time is had by all in this adventure that is built on archetypal plot strands that tie together oh so well.

As entertaining as The Goonies finally becomes--and its last hour is mostly one pleasure after another--it's a shame that Spielberg, writer Chris Columbus and director Richard Donner felt the need to take the low road in terms of language. [7 Jun 1985, p.A]

The Goonies, like Gremlins, shows that Spielberg and his directors are absolute masters of how to excite and involve an audience. "E.T." was more like "Close Encounters"; it didn't simply want us to feel, but also to wonder, and to dream.

Though obviously aimed at a younger audience, The Goonies is packed with four-letter words. Sure kids speak like that, but writer Chris Columbus and director Richard Donner rely on obscenities as a substitution for clever punch lines, tossing in a few sex jokes and a touch of racist humor as well.

Actually, maybe the movie is better than it seems to be -- I just couldn't understand what anyone was saying. The dialogue came across as clear as schoolyard chatter during recess -- and just about as pleasant to listen to. There is a water slide, a pirate ship and an amusing little chubbikins (Jeff Cohen) who squirts Reddi Wip directly into his mouth. [20 Jun 1985, p.1]

The usual Spielberg rhetoric about the sanctity of childhood and the beauty of dreams seems wholly factitious in this crass context, which even includes a commercial--in the form of a rock video--for the tie-in merchandise.

This is my all time favorite movie and it is for a number of reasons. The story is very heart warming and makes us all feel like kids again. The cast of child actors (now adults) works so well. We can all relate to one of those kids as we most probably ONE of those kids or knew someone in our group of friends like that! The setting and visuals which although have dated slightly are still very good and add a almost charm to it. It is a very entertaining movie from the off set and throughout! If you want a CLASSIC Spielberg story/movie then give this a go!

Watched this a lot growing up too. Good movie. As a kid I wanted to be part of this group of kids.

This movie is a nostalgia fueled fever dream. I watched it once when I was very young in the early 2000's and blocked it out of my memory. Watching it again recently, I remembered why. It's about group of boys, aka The Goonies lead by Mike Walsh played by Sean Astin, who follow clues on a treasure map found in the Walshes' attic in hopes of stopping the foreclosure of his house- something every family can relate to. The crew ends up in dangerous tunnels beneath a dilapidated restaurant where they're pursued by a family of thugs. What I can't stand about this movie is the screaming about what's literally happening in each scene. If there's a skull in a room, you know at least 3 kids are going to scream "SKULL." Bad guys are coming? "THE BAD GUYS ARE COMING." Boat? "BOAAAAT." The only plus side of this is it provides room for the characters to honestly express their feelings. When a little kid starts crying out of fear or heartbreak, you really believe the performance. You can't help but care about them, like a friend after they **** their pants at a party and you had to drag them to your house that's getting foreclosed. I liked it.

I was a kid in the 80's when this movie came out...I dind't like it then, and I don't like it now 36 years later. It is consider a "classic" movie for kid, but I disagree. Probabilly most people idolatrize this movie for nostalgia (it was passed on tv often for ages) than real quality. Main characters are the worst part of this production and ruin the whole film. They are the definition of Gary Stu, scream all the time, bully a chubby kid for fun, have stereotipated personality traits, outsmarts adults criminal....unbareable. There are tons of better movie for kids with nicers protagonists, better and clever screenplay, more innovation and better fx than this...like Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) or Explorers (1985) or Return to Oz (1985) or The NeverEnding Story (1984)...just to name a few

Understandable if nostalgics gives this full score. But honestly, it is a product of the 80´s, and it shows. It has sadly not stood the test of time very well on pretty much every level: Acting, script, cheap practical-effects and story. Watching it again was a let down that i should never have done. The movie was almost a pain to relive again, the constant shouting from every child-actor from start to finish almost gave me a headache. The story is silly and simplified- and at some point dumb, and the script is horrendously flat and unimaginative. If you saw it in the 80´s, leave it as a memory and never watch it again is my advice. I am surprised this movie has not been remade by Hollywood yet, probably because of its simple story that offers nothing to the more demanding audiences today.