Synopsis
The Goonies takes us to Astoria, Oregon, where a group of kids who live in the “Goon Docks” are about to lose their homes to a country club developer. Mikey Walsh (played by Sean Astin) stumbles upon an old treasure map in his family’s attic, leading him and his friends to the fortune of a pirate named One-Eyed Willy. They follow the map to a restaurant built right over a cave system full of booby traps, all while being chased by a family of crooks hiding out there. The Goonies make their way through the caves, dodging traps and finding a pirate ship buried underground.
Actors & Crew
- Sean Astin plays Mikey Walsh. Born Sean Patrick Duke in 1971 to actress Patty Duke, he was raised by his adoptive father, actor John Astin, whose surname he took. He made his film debut at 13 in this movie and went on to Toy Soldiers, Rudy (1993), and his most recognized role as Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award. On television he played Bob Newby in Stranger Things season two, made his Broadway debut in Elf the Musical in 2024, and was elected president of SAG-AFTRA in 2025.
- Josh Brolin plays Brandon “Brand” Walsh, his film debut. Born in 1968 to actor James Brolin, he went on to major roles including the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men (2007), Milk (2008, earning an Academy Award nomination), True Grit (2010), both Dune films, and Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Corey Feldman plays “Mouth.” A child actor since age three, he had roles on The Bad News Bears and in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins, and Stand by Me, all between 1984 and 1986. He met Corey Haim on the set of The Lost Boys in 1987, and the two became known as “The Two Coreys.”
- Jeff Cohen plays “Chunk.” After his acting career ended in the early 1990s, Cohen earned a business degree from UC Berkeley and a law degree from UCLA, co-founding the entertainment law firm Cohen and Gardner in 2002. In 2022 he negotiated the deal for his Goonies co-star Ke Huy Quan to appear in Everything Everywhere All at Once; when Quan won the Academy Award, he thanked Cohen from the stage.
- Ke Huy Quan plays Data. Born in Saigon in 1971, he and his family fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and settled in California as refugees in 1979. He became a child actor at 13, landing the role of Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) before this movie the following year. He stepped away from acting for nearly two decades before returning in 2021, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once — making him the first Vietnam-born actor to win an Oscar.
- Martha Plimpton plays “Stef.” Daughter of actor Keith Carradine, she went on to earn three Tony nominations, a Primetime Emmy for The Good Wife, and an Emmy nomination for Raising Hope (2010–2014). She voiced Yelena in Frozen 2 and appeared in the drama Mass (2021).
- Kerri Green plays Andy. A real-life high school cheerleader cast the same year she appeared in Summer Rental alongside John Candy, she later starred in Lucas (1985) opposite Corey Haim. She stepped back from acting to attend Vassar College, graduating cum laude, and later co-founded the film production company Independent Women Artists.
- Also featuring Joe Pantoliano, Anne Ramsey, and Michael Paul Chan. Screenplay by Chris Columbus; story by Steven Spielberg.
Budget & Shooting Locations
- Released June 7, 1985; rated PG.
- Budget: $19 million.
- Box office: $65 million; Warner Bros. released it to 1,705 theaters.
- Principal photography began October 22, 1984, and lasted five months, with on-location filming in Astoria, Oregon. The old Clatsop County Jail served as the Fratellis’ hideout and was later converted into the Oregon Film Museum.
- On February 14, 2025, a sequel was confirmed to be in the works with Potsy Ponciroli writing the script and Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus producing.
Rewatch verdict and Cringe Meter
The Goonies remains a beloved ’80s adventure classic. IMDb rates it 7.7/10 from 328,000 votes, Metacritic gives it a Metascore of 62 (“Generally Favorable”) based on 13 critic reviews, and its User Score sits at 7.4 based on 243 ratings.
