The Goonies opened in theaters on June 7, 1985. The Oregonian film reviewer Ted Mahar’s description of the film appeared in the paper that day:
“Goonies,” is a whizzingly paced adventure comedy about eight misfits who have the time (and fright) of their lives when one of them literally stumbled across a pirate treasure map. But while pursuing the treasure, they are also fleeing two cretinous bandit brothers and their gun moll mom through a dangerous maze of caves.
Personally I would describe the film as “eight pre-teens screaming for two hours,” but apparently I’m in the minority with my distaste – the $20 million Spielberg-produced film grossed over $60 million.
Partly filmed in and around Astoria and Cannon Beach, The Goonies really hit a chord with a lot of people (i.e. pre-teens), and is celebrated to this day on the North Coast. In fact Astoria threw a Goonies 25th Anniversary Celebration in 2010, and Mayer Willis Van Dusen has declared today, June 7 to be Goonies Day in Astoria, Oregon. So, uh, happy Goonies Day!
Photo credit: The old Clatsop County Jail photo by Heather at Mile73.com. The film opens with the “two cretinous bandit brothers” escaping from said jail, which now houses the Oregon Film Museum.
Dave’s first remark after seeing The Goonies: “This movie makes me want to stab myself in the ears.”
My parents really liked The Goonies and they were not pre teens in 1985. Funny they have been to Astoria twice, and visited the Goonies house twice. We now live here and we STILL haven’t visited.