I am 28 years old. This means I was born in 1981, which means I was a child in the 80s and 90s. So the fact that until today I had never seen "The Goonies" has been both a baffling concept and a point of contention with everyone in my life for as long as I can remember. I think I was literally the only person over the age of 25 that had never seen it.
"The Goonies" was actually one of the reasons I started this blog. It's pretty much the pinnacle of "I cannot believe you've never seen this movie," which is the heart of this project.
I watched it today, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I have to admit I was apprehensive over the fact that there was so much riding on my viewing of this film. What if I didn't like it? Would there be something wrong with me? Would I be ostracized and made to feel like a hearless monster? It's likely.
Luckily, I am safe. I loved it. It made me laugh, it made me tear up a few times (though, to be fair, that is not hard to do). Overall, my heart was warmed by the sheer wholesome nature of the movie. I won't go into a full description (because I am certain you already know) but at its core, it's a movie about kids trying to do the right thing. They are a little mischievous, because they are boys, and they are a little rambunctious, again because they are boys. But they care about each other and their families. The whole point of the treasure hunt was to get enough money to save their house and save their family from eviction from the "evil" developers. Not a fresh or unique storyline, no, but done really well. The adventure the day takes them on allows them all to use their strengths and do their part to save the day.
At the end of the day, I was left with a movie with characters I loved, jokes and quotes I FINALLY understood after almost 30 years, and just a general sense of contentment. I totally get why people have given me such a hard time over the fact that this one initially passed me by. And I have to say, a part of me is glad I saw it as an adult for the first time. I know the type of child I was, and I don't think I would have loved it back then. I would have liked it, sure, but I don't think I would have loved it. Seeing it as an adult with fresh eyes allowed me to see the whole picture and really appreciate it.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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