18
Popular Culture Review
favorite was one of Data that read, ‘I set booty traps’” (Philhower). User reviews
on the Internet confirm my students’ enthusiasm. “Anyone who grew up in the
80's,” writes one fan, “will list The Goonies as one of their favourite [sic] films,
or at least look back at it with a misty eye” (“User Reviews”). Another opines,
“I must admit I look back at it through rose[-]tinted glasses. I was in awe of it
when I was a kid, and now when I watch it, it reminds me of my childhood and
all the things that [were] great about it. I can[’]t fault the Goonies, even now. I
still believe it is the perfect kids[‘] film” (“User Reviews”). Even actor Zac
Efron, twenty-two- year-old star of Charlie St. Cloud (2010), tells Entertainment
Weekly that The Goonies is the movie he loves most, saying, “I’ve probably seen
it 20 times at least” (qtd. in “Zac Ephron: My Favorite Movies” 60).
What accounts for this seemingly unremarkable film’s remarkable appeal?
Although dismissed by movie critics following its release on June 7, 1985, The
Goonies captured the imagination of boys who became enamored with it,
watching it repeatedly and considering it a—if not the—touchstone film of their
youths. Later, they passed it on to younger siblings and offspring, who felt
similarly connected. Tailor-made for what became known as Generation X, its
name derived from a 1991 novel by Douglas Coupland of the same title (J.
Arnett 4). The Goonies speaks to children who feel lost, marginalized, or
rejected, adapting the classic pirate genre to meet the needs of a contemporary
audience and reflecting the dynamics of a changing culture. Coupland claimed
that Gen X was not a chronological age but a way of looking at the world (Owen
4); The Goonies with its outsiders who look sadly and cynically at the
institutions around them reflect that vision.
Written by Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard
Dormer, The Goonies did not fare as well critically as it did popularly. Roger
Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times panned the film, calling it “totally
manipulative” (Ebert). Danny Peary, author of Cult Films 1 and 2 and Guide for
the Film Fanatic, placed it in his category of “‘Must See’ Films,” for its
popularity, but described it as “extremely disappointing” and added:
The young boys who take part in the adventure are loud,
vulgar, and in need of babysitters. Even director Richard
Donner seems so vexed by their constant chatter that he tries
to drown them out with blaring music. The villains (who are
miscast) are cruel, rather than delightfully evil. In fact, there
is a mean and rude, rather than good-natured, feel to the entire
film . . . . this picture lacks imagination. Dialogue and
characters (especially the fake kids) leave much to be desired.
Sean Astin’s inspirational “let’s-not-give-up” speech is
particularly lame. But the final reunion scene is the worst of
all. Bad casting, weak direction. (Peary 177-178)
What the critics disparaged, the audience lauded. Although The Goonies
just missed the list of the top ten films of the 1980, it placed a solid ninth at the