Mind The Gap: 'The Goonies' Really Need The Nostalgia
There are so many times I feel guilty about how long it’s taken me to watch a lot of these classic films, and this is one of them. I know this movie is beloved by so many people, and I, unfortunately, cannot be one of them. I wish I was. Truly. But without any level of nostalgia, so many things about this story made me wince, from the dated acting to the storyline itself. It almost feels like cheating to make a post such as this because I know my opinion is so far from so many people I know.
I can absolutely recognize the significance for this movie when it comes to millennial childhoods. The combination of an adventure story and a coming-of-age film is something that is perfectly crafted to our generation, and normally, I would have been able to be sucked into this without a second thought. But in 2022, without the beautiful lens that is nostalgia, it just didn’t quite hit the same.
Instead, the movie from 1985 just felt like a time capsule. The large cast of child actors made the whole movie feel stilted and scripted - which I recognize every movie is - in a way that some movies of that time period has not. I worry how other films such as these will age the same (i.e. The Sandlot, which I saw when I was young and then somehow never again). Sometimes that lack of childhood feels really work against a film, which doesn’t feel fair.
That being said, there are plenty of movies that do stand the test of time, and it feels like The Goonies should be able to. It’s an adventure, a search for treasure and a coming of age tale. All of which are still used in movies to this day. But there are just enough dated elements that really make it hard to fully appreciate it now. There’s a weird tone around someone who has a physical deformity or disability, which is one of the things hardest for me to swallow. Between that and the stilted script, it was hard for me to really lose myself in the movie.
If anyone happens to know about another film that fits the bill (I weirdly loved movies like Stand By Me, even though it isn’t quite as much of an adventure tale as this story), please let me know, because believe me when I say that I want to love these movies, even as condescending as it may sound. There’s something beautiful about a vintage feel to a movie, but The Goonies fell a bit short for this almost-thirty-year-old.
In March, it’s time for another walk-of-shame style film, but then I’m back to my Mind the Gap series. Any favorite old-school movies I should check out? Let me know in the comments!