Check your calendars. The Goonies didn’t come out 20 years ago—it came out 40 years ago.
That’s four decades of Mama Fratelli, four decades of Sloth yelling “Hey you guys!”, and four decades of Chunk’s truffle shuffle. And thanks to the internet, we’ve now had over 20+ years of memes celebrating our friends in the Goon Docks.
June 7, 1985—what a historic day.
The Goonies crossed generational divides, delivering laughter, mystery, adventure, and just the right amount of frights. It’s strange to look back now, because the film feels frozen in time. As if Astoria never changed. As if Data, Mouth, Mikey, and the rest of the Goonies are still in those same houses. The statue still has its private parts glued on upside down. Rosalita is still unpacking boxes and discovering hidden gems. It feels like the Goonies never grew up—or maybe we just didn’t want them to because we wanted to stay Goonies with them.
In the past two decades, 1980s nostalgia has exploded. Countless movies and shows have tried to bottle that magic lightning just for a few more moments—Stranger Things perhaps doing it best. But nothing beats the original. Nothing beats The Goonies. I’ll argue this to anyone: The Goonies is the epitome of 1980s entertainment, politics, pop culture, and movie magic.
Let’s not forget Cyndi Lauper’s epic anthem “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough,” featuring appearances by pro wrestlers like Captain Lou Albano in her unforgettable music video. THAT was the 1980s as well. The song, with the movie? Perfection.. The colors. The music. The language. The feeling. It all captured that moment in time and somehow made it timeless.
That’s why The Goonies still resonates—still matters—four decades later. It may just be one of the best movies ever made. And if I had to choose just one film to represent the entire decade of the 1980s, I’d choose The Goonies.
And just for the nostalgia, here’s a picture from the showing at a theater in Astoria, Oregon!
For those of us who lived through its release, we’re getting older. I was a little too young to catch it in theaters, but I saw it later—and even then, I felt its magic. I’m honestly jealous of anyone who experienced it on the big screen for the very first time. You were the luckiest moviegoers in the world. And you probably still are.
And speaking of lucky movie goers.. let’s just step back in time for a bit and gaze at this ad in the local fishwrapper of my youth.. the Pottsville REPUBLICAN from June 7, 1985–the weekend of the movie’s release.. The Schuylkill Mall was the place to be.. the Goonies was playing daily that week at 1:30, 4:30, 7:00, and 7:20. So … what time do you all want to meet up and go see it? I’ll buy the popcorn..
Some movies are just meant to be seen in a theater, and The Goonies is absolutely one of them.