THE GOONIES A film review by Joshua Tyler Copyright 2001 filmcritic.com
The Goonies has convinced me that sterility might not be such a bad thing.
The Goonies stars Sean Astin and Corey Feldman in their formative years, as leaders of a ratty group of kids who live in the boondocks. When wealthy developers threaten to move in, they discover an old treasure map, and set off in search of "the rich stuff" to save their admittedly pathetic way of life.
The Goonies is more than just some goofy Fox Kids treasure hunt story. Over time, it has become a true cult classic, heralded by film geeks and movie nerds the world over. Yes, at its heart it is just a simple kiddie tale, no different than the hundreds of other kiddie tales which go straight to video every year. But, The Goonies has a certain scruffy, goofball roughness that makes it endearing and lovable, allowing it a special place in the hearts of its followers that has endured the test of time.
That's not to say that every viewer will quickly find himself caught up in the film. The Goonies suffers from an overabundance of shouting and at times devolves into nothing more than a furball of grungy kids running around screaming and talking over one another. Indeed, at times I was left wondering why director Richard Donner didn't hire a nanny or a drill instructor to get the kids to shut up and talk in coherent sentences. But real kids are not quiet, and real kids do not deliver Oscar-worthy lines with great drama and flair. Real kids do run around shouting and jumping and generally making a nuisance of themselves. So, perhaps in spite of the fact that the film frequently becomes extremely annoying, the rampant kiddie-rampaging isn't so bad after all.
In the end, The Goonies is a flick to watch with your children. Much like this year's Spy Kids, this is a film that the whole family can love. Replete with lavish and quirky set design, goofily harmless antics, and smart scoring, Donner manages to delight and surprise at every turn in a coming of age tale the likes of which is rarely seen.
Grab the kids, order a pizza, and let The Goonies convince you that perhaps your children really aren't so bad after all.
RATING: ***1/2
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Richard Donner Producer: Harvey Bernhard, Richard Donner Writer: Chris Columbus Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathon Ke Quan, John Matuszak
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